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Peru FOREIGN RELATIONS
The emergence of highly nationalistic forces in Peru's
political system during the 1960s was accompanied by a
marked
shift in the nation's approach to foreign relations. A
desire to
alter Peru's traditionally passive role in foreign
affairs, which
had led to what was perceived as inordinate influence by
foreign
countries--and particularly the United States--in the
political
and economic life of the nation, became a central
objective of
the Velasco Alvarado regime. During the 1970s, Peru's
military
government sought an independent, nonaligned course in its
foreign relations that paralleled the mixed socioeconomic
policies of its domestic reform program. Diplomatic
dealings and
foreign trade were thus diversified; official contacts
with the
nations of the communist world, Western Europe, and Asia
were
significantly expanded during the decade, while the United
States' official presence receded from its once
predominant
position. Multilateral relations, particularly with Latin
American neighbors that shared economic and political
interests
common to many Third World nations, also assumed a new
importance.
Peru's foreign policy initiatives were undertaken in
part as
an effort to gain international support for the military
government's experiment in "revolution from above." The
initial
success of many programs of the military government
brought it
considerable international prestige and thus, during the
early
1970s, Peru became a leading voice for Third World
nations. As
the fortunes of the Peruvian experiment fell during the
late
1970s, however, its international profile receded
markedly. The
Belaúnde government deemphasized further the nonaligned
stance of
the military government while working toward closer
relationships
with the United States and the nations of Latin America.
Data as of September 1992
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