1. International relations in Latin America were influenced by their colonial history with European powers like Spain and Portugal as well as recent commercial ties with Britain, France, and Germany.
2. Relations within the Americas were dominated by the powerful presence of the United States, beginning with the Monroe Doctrine in 1821 which established America's right to intervene in Latin America.
3. The US further imposed its right to intervene through the Spanish-American War in 1898 and the Roosevelt Corollary in 1905, enforcing policies like acquiring the Panama Canal Zone and occupying countries in the region.