Population growth: U.S. and Latin American views

Abstract

This article is an attempt at interpretation. As one who has worked professionally both in the United States and in Latin America, I would like to interpret how I see the United States and Latin America responding to the high Latin American population growth rate. This is a personal interpretation and as such, of course, is biassed. It is also a very broad subject to which a few pages of interpretation can hardly do justice. The very generalizations ‘the United States’ and ‘Latin America’ lend themselves to misunderstanding. These are not homogeneous areas but contain a variety of forces pulling in many directions. And yet, just because this is such a difficult subject as well as such an important one in the world of to-day, it is perhaps worth while to try to distil some common components which may help us gain a better understanding of the actions of others as well as our own.