Kulіnich T. Ibero-American Dimension of the Foreign Policy of Spain.

The study outlines that the term "Ibero-America" is used to denote the region of Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries in America and the Caribbean. In particular, the author points out that, unlike such expression as "Latin America," which has ideological connotation and indicates that this region's countries are close to France, "Ibero-America" denotes the key feature inherent to the countries in this region, i.e., historical, ethical, cultural and linguistic connection with the countries of the Iberian Peninsula. This notion finds its increasing acknowledgment and wide use in the global scientific, political and journalistic discourses. Some researchers are inclined to treat Spain and Portugal as a part of Ibero-America, while the others apply this term to Latin American countries only. In the context of this study, the term "Ibero-America" is taken to denote the entirety of all countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, which were Spanish and Portuguese colonies in the past, countries that are members of Iberoamerican Community of Nations (ICN), including countries of Iberian peninsula. The thesis is dedicated to the study of the Spain's policy towards Ibero-American countries as a component of the Spanish foreign policy system. The work deals with a wide range of measurements and aspects that are specific to the Spain's internal policy towards Latin America and the Caribbean at political, economic, social and demographic and humanitarian levels. The work defines such a specific feature of the Spain's foreign policy in the region pushing Spain to use practically the common language and history and proximity of cultures and identities as a factor of "soft power".