“Invaluable Context”: A Review of a Monograph by Latin America Specialist Ekaterina Kosevich Published in the United States
The review was written by distinguished professor Daniel Hellinger of Webster University (USA), one of the most respected American experts on Latin America. In his article, he provides a detailed analysis of the author’s arguments, emphasizing the relevance of the study against the backdrop of turbulent developments in 2026.
Professor Hellinger describes Kosevich’s survey of the region’s foreign-policy thought as a “tour de force.” He notes that the author successfully demonstrates how the ideas of Latin American intellectuals shape the real policy goals of nationalist governments across the region and contribute to the construction of a multipolar international order.
The reviewer pays particular attention to the author’s ability to anticipate key trends. Although the book was published at the very end of 2024—before the sharp escalation around Venezuela in January 2026—Hellinger stresses that “Ekaterina Kosevich accurately predicted that military power (in the form of assistance and military missions) would become a key resource for the United States in advancing its geopolitical interests in the region.”
The review also closely examines the chapters of Kosevich’s monograph devoted to China, Russia, and the European Union. Hellinger highlights the analysis of a “hybrid system” of inter-American relations and points to the uniqueness of the author’s expertise, which is grounded not only in desk research but also in many years of professional experience working in Latin American countries.
In his conclusion, Professor Hellinger reflects on the value foundations of the work: “Kosevich, who positions herself within the realist school of international relations, advocates strengthening the foundations of a multipolar world. Even more revealing of the author’s values is the epigraph to the introduction from Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak: ‘…never, under any circumstances, should one despair. To hope and to act is our duty in misfortune. Passive despair is the forgetting and violation of duty.’”
The reviewer concludes that Kosevich’s book provides “invaluable context” for understanding whether global multilateralism will lead to greater autonomy for Latin America or to a tightening of U.S. regional hegemony.