This article examines up to what point the United States was able to consolidate its interest in almost all of the southern continent through the use of the following tactics: establish a conflict that was difficult to re solve, then propose an extremely complex solution, and then finally postpone action until it best suited its interests.El presente trabajo pretende analizar hasta qué punto Estados Unidos consolidó su interés sobre la casi totalidad del continente helado usando como táctica definir un conflicto de difícil solución, proponer una solución extremadamente compleja y postergar ésta para cuando mejor conformase a sus intereses.