Escaping Washington’s Tutelage: Latin America, the League of Nations, and International Law

Abstract Relying on a variety of archival sources, including the recently discovered private correspondence of the Uruguayan diplomat Enrique Buero, this article demonstrates that a Latin American bloc with a common agenda emerged in Geneva during the 1920s and transformed the codification of international law in both the League of Nations and the Pan-American Union. Key pressure groups previously thought to have operated exclusively in the Americas were created in the League by Latin American diplomats who wanted to reform international law to protect small states but had lost faith in Pan-Americanism. The article examines the ideological origins of this bloc and the obstacles that it encountered, including an initial tendency among some diplomats to prioritize status-seeking. It charts the Latin American bloc’s success in dismantling obstacles to the League’s involvement in the Americas. Finally, the article demonstrates that the bloc was able to leverage its influence beyond the League, including during the run-up to the 1933 Montevideo Conference.