Ryan is a senior in the College from New York City. He is majoring in History and minoring in Hispanic Studies. His research interests consist of American foreign policy, especially mid-to-late 20th-century U.S.-Latin American relations in the Cold War context. At Penn, he is involved with the Pennsylvania Post and the Government and Politics Association.
Ryan Wolff
Wolf Humanities Center Undergraduate Fellow
2025—2026 Forum on Truth
Ryan Wolff
History
CAS, 2026
U.S. Intervention in the Exceptional 70s: Shifting U.S.-Latin American Relations during the Late Cold War
This project is on the topic of U.S. foreign policy motivations in Latin America during the Cold War—focusing on military aid, specifically in Uruguay (1976-1983) and Argentina (1976 and after). By examining both historical primary sources (some archival) and secondary accounts, the project will investigate why the U.S. withdrew financial support from right-wing Latin American regimes and took steps to prioritize human rights. To narrow the focus, it will look at the late Cold War period—a time in which the idea of focusing on human rights rose in prominence. It will first focus on the U.S. cutoff of foreign aid to Uruguay and then on the U.S.’s pro-human rights policy in Argentina in response to military coups in both countries.