China and the United States in the Andes

Politics in the Andes in the post-Cold War era are not at the mercy of ‘inter-national’ dynamics but more affected by global economic trends. While the United States and China have somewhat distinct approaches – in part determined by their own positions in the global economy – they both deepen the penetration of global markets in the region. Economic competition within a U.S. and China-centric business-led globalization poses important challenges for industrialization and socially and environmentally sustainable development in the Andes. The three countries here analysed (Peru, Ecuador and Colombia) are thus in a curious position. Their civil societies are as vibrant as ever, and their national politics more immune to foreign intervention, yet they increasingly face similar economic and environmental pressures through their investment, trade and finance links with the world’s two largest economies.