American Exceptionalism and the 1954 Coup in Guatemala Rethinking the Cold War in Latin America

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International Relations (MA)

O'Flynn, Colm (2015)

American Exceptionalism and the 1954 Coup in Guatemala Rethinking the Cold War in Latin America

Master thesis | International Relations (MA)

The prospective nationalization of privately owned hand holdings in Guatemala placed the democratically elected government of Jacob Arbenz on a collision course with the champions of liberal-capitalism; the United States. Using American Exceptionalism as a theoretical construct this paper argues that developments in Guatemala were viewed within the State Department and the CIA from a position that restated historical assumptions of American superiority. This paper looks at the CIA coup against Guatemalan President Jacob Arbenz through a unique analytical lens that seeks to move away from a strictly Cold War narrative. Contesting values of rule and governance came to the fore in conceptualising a fictitious communist threat and fostered the belief among policymakers that President Arbenz should be removed from office. This paper will address how these beliefs resonated in policy making through an appropriation of American Exceptionalism to the Guatemalan coup.