Resumen

LAJTMAN, Tamara  y  ROMANO, Silvina. The United States and the manufacturing of geopolitical consent on chinese infrastructure in Latin America. URVIO [online]. 2026, n.44, pp.70-89. ISSN 1390-4299.  https://doi.org/10.17141/urvio.44.2026.6620.

Introduction: The narrative framing China as a military threat in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has been promoted by government actors, think tanks, and experts linked to the U.S. military apparatus, who portray defense cooperation and infrastructure projects as risks to hemispheric security, centering the framing on the notion of dual-use, whereby civilian infrastructure financed by China could serve military purposes. Objective: In this context, this study analyzes the dynamics that construct, sustain, and consolidate a consensus around the geopolitical narrative of the dual-use of Chinese infrastructure in LAC, through linkages among institutions, organizations, and individuals that form a power network around the U.S. Military-Industrial Complex. Methodology: Using a qualitative approach, it draws on the institutional and doctrinal output of actors linked to the U.S. government, think tanks, and the media projection of the narrative at international and local levels. Conclusions: The narrative functions more as a performative threat than a description of facts; by generating risk perceptions and guiding strategic decisions, it legitimizes budget increases and reinforces suspicions toward China without conclusive evidence, underscoring the central role of this consensus in U.S. foreign and domestic policy.

Palabras clave : China; dual-use infrastructure; Latin America and the Caribbean; manufacturing consent; United States.

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