The Obstacles to Regional Integration in Latin America. Carlos Malamud

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "The Obstacles to Regional Integration in Latin America. Carlos Malamud"

Transcription

1 The Obstacles to Regional Integration in Latin America Carlos Malamud Theme: Despite the increasing rhetoric about the external obstacles that hinder the process of Latin American integration, the main problems originate within the continent itself. Summary: A common suggestion is that the main obstacles to the process of Latin American integration are external ones that most often have to do with the attitude of US governments, which are more interested in policies of divide and rule than in promoting unification. This is the same line of thought that in the 19 th century referred to the Balkanisation of Latin America. However, beyond the rhetoric expressed in different forums (for example, at the recent Summit of the Americas held in November in Mar del Plata, Argentina), the main causes lie in the internal realities of the region. This paper focuses on three of these realities, two excesses and one deficit: an excess of nationalism and rhetoric, but a deficit of leadership. Analysis: It is often said that regional integration in Latin America is not advancing due to the existence of serious obstacles, generally of an external nature. Euphemisms aside, this generally means US imperialism, which is interpreted as a policy of divide and rule contrary to continental unity. Applying conspiracy theories to the analysis of regional divisions is nothing new. Since the 19 th century, imperialism in any of its forms (British, French and American) has been interested in the Balkanisation of Latin America. This argument was present during the entire process of national construction in the first half of the century, with the formation of Uruguay raising conspiracy theories to a high point. In some circles, regional integration is considered a key to fostering development in Latin America. However, no clear explanation is given for this theory, nor is there any explanation of why other regions in the world such as Asia are not integrated but nonetheless are growing faster than Latin America. The nearly simultaneous occasion of the Ibero-American Summit in Salamanca and the Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata provides a good opportunity to consider these issues. While not denying the importance of external factors in the internal political life of countries and regions, or the role that Great Britain played in Latin America in the 19 th century and that the United States played in the 20 th century, I propose to emphasise certain internal issues that generally receive less attention. Though this is not an exhaustive study, I would highlight the existence of two excesses and one deficit as being among the main obstacles to the progress of Latin American integration. The excesses involve the heightened rhetoric and the heavy weight of nationalism embedded in Latin American public opinion; the deficit is essentially the lack of regional leadership. Senior Analyst, Latin America area, Elcano Royal Institute 1

2 The Lack of Leadership as an Obstacle to Regional Integration Let us begin with the lack of leadership. There is no doubt that neither of the two Latin American giants, Brazil and Mexico, have played the role that should correspond to them, given the size, capacity and wealth they would be capable of bringing to the regional integration process. When Argentina s political and economic circumstances allowed it to foment regional integration, it also failed to take the lead in Latin America, being more immersed in its own internal issues than interested in a strategic association with the rest of the region. This lack of leadership can be explained basically by the lack of any real need for integration, with the various countries being more concerned with their own problems than with what is happening around them. There has also been a significant lack of resources to finance operations of this kind, although this should not disguise the fact that the various governments have lacked the political will to foment integration. However, although the lack of leadership was a key factor in the repeated failures of Latin American integration, most of the common explanations focus on the omnipresence of the United States and, obviously, we must see in this a clear attempt to avoid accepting responsibility at home. Academics who study Latin American integration often look to the European Union (EU) for inspiration or appropriate models to foment similar processes in Latin America. Indeed, in the course of European unification, in which the political component was more important than economics, the famous Franco-German axis (now in crisis) played an outstanding role. Without the leadership of Paris and Bonn, European unification would never have reached the point it has, despite the fact that US interests in Europe were, and continue to be, both qualitatively and quantitatively greater than in Latin America. It is true that Europe was a key front in the Cold War, as can be seen in the degree to which NATO was active in the continent, but after the Cuban revolution and the missile crisis, the importance of hemispheric issues began to be felt. Still, it is worth recalling the totally contradictory experiences of NATO and the Rio Treaty (the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, also known by the Spanish acronym TIAR), both of which arose in the same period in the same Cold War context, but with entirely different results. It is instructive to recall the great boost that NATO gave to European growth, compared with the fiasco of the Rio Treaty, due to a large extent to the deep anti-us feeling in Latin America at the time. The lack of leadership can also be explained by the costs associated with the exercise of such leadership. It is curious that no one in Latin America has yet wanted to take on the role of regional leader, automatically assuming that the benefits to be obtained would be substantially inferior to the cost involved. This attitude, however, has begun to change now that Venezuela has come on the scene with sufficient resources and a clear idea of what it wants to do with them. As is always the case, when there is a vacuum someone fills it in this case, due to inaction on the part of Brazil and Mexico. Although Hugo Chávez s Venezuela and Fidel Castro s Cuba have the support of part of Latin American public opinion, the big difference between Chávez and Castro is that the former has the economic resources that the latter has always lacked. This puts the Venezuelan leader in a position to gain political backing in multilateral bodies such as the OAS, through companies such as Petrocaribe, which distributes oil charitably at subsidised prices and finances oil purchases with loans at symbolic interest rates. As a result, it is reasonable to question the 2

3 permanence of support that is garnered by mechanisms that have little to do with conviction or persuasion. Nationalism and the Transfer of Sovereignty to Supranational Bodies Nationalism is the first among the excesses. Despite the continuous stream of declarations (and more on rhetoric later) on or in favour of Latin American unity, the fact is that the region has made very little headway towards unification. However, excessive nationalism should not be confused with the autarchy that was dominant from the 1950s to the 1970s and that imposed a near total closure of national borders, preventing any kind of opening to trade or any attempt at integration. Starting with the initial attempts made by the ALALC (Latin American Free Trade Association), followed by the LAIA (Latin American Integration Association also known as ALADI, its Spanish acronym ) in the early 1960s, and up to the more recent efforts by Central America and the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), there have been very few tangible results. The long process of integration has been a veritable alphabet soup with regional and subregional ingredients, spilling across the continent in all directions. Even Mercosur (the Southern Cone common market), once the most advanced example of subregional integration in Latin America and the model for one and all to follow in fact the one chosen by the EU as its most favoured interlocutor for negotiations that have turned out be interminable is now facing serious internal difficulties. Although the turbulence facing the Brazilian government of President Lula does not favour Mercosur s consolidation, the difficulties of a shared venture by Argentina and Brazil, along with other smaller partners, have been long in the making. To this we must add the possible entry of Venezuela into Mercosur (according to the announcement made by a member of the Uruguayan government), though no one can say for certain how this story will turn out. In all likelihood, if Venezuela joins Mercosur it will mean more problems than benefits for all member countries and it may also have an impact on negotiations with the EU. Brazilian problems also have an impact on the process of creating the South American Community of Nations (one of the most recent attempts at integration, in this case, of South America). This initiative has also been backed by Itamarati the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but has not been received with universal enthusiasm by the various countries in the region. In these and other cases, little headway has been made towards the creation of supranational structures capable of developing regional integration. And this is where we come to the question of excessive nationalism: no Latin American country is willing to give up the smallest amount of sovereignty for the construction of supranational institutions, and without such institutions there is no way that regional or subregional integration processes can advance or be consolidated. The Excess of Integrationist Rhetoric Finally, let us touch on the excess of rhetoric, which is omnipresent in Latin America. We often allude to magical realism in dealing with the issue and this generally gets in the way of a proper diagnosis of what is happening in the region. It seems that Latin American unity is the necessary end of Latin America s historical development at least we seem to accept this as the gospel truth. We also hear that this is the best way to shake off the heavy yoke of foreign domination: faced with divide and rule, the contrary or counterthesis is the idea that in union there is strength. 3

4 From this perspective, Simón Bolívar has lately and repeatedly been presented as the great new apostle of Latin American unity. Even Hugo Chávez s big project to oppose the FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) is ALBA (Bolivarian Area of the Americas). Proof of this was the stage management of the Venezuelan delegation at the Summit of the Americas and at the counter-summit held by the anti-globalisation movements, where Diego Maradona was a star performer. I do not want go into a detailed analysis of Bolivarian ideas here as they deserve a somewhat longer essay to themselves. Rather, I simply want to suggest that the Liberator s ideas on unification were directly linked to the structure of the Spanish empire in America an empire already breaking down when Bolívar wrote his famous Jamaica Letter in Apart from the fact that the figure of Bolívar has nothing to do with Mexican history, we could also ask what Brazil and the non-spanish Caribbean have to do with his thought and, therefore, what an initiative carrying the Bolivarian label could possibly mean to them. This is where we come back to the starting point, where excessive rhetoric meets a lack of leadership. Given the lack of clear leadership in the Latin American integration process, and thanks to abundant resources that continue to grow with the rising price of oil, the Venezuelan government has decided to take on the enormous costs of this leadership, which neither Brazil nor Mexico are willing to do. This means that energy is now at the heart of the integration process and, similarly to what occurred in Europe with coal and steel, the idea here is that oil and gas will provide Latin American integration with the required boost. What is overlooked, however, is the political component of the European project. Rhetoric aside, this component has not been clarified in the Latin American context. This makes it valid to ask regardless of the impact of this particular case how longlasting and sustainable a regional integration process can be if it is spurred on by money, rather than being based on convictions and detailed political agreements. In any case, if the existing deficits and excesses are not corrected, little headway will be made in the regional integration process a process that appears necessary for the future of the region, but also for Europe and the rest of the world. The excessive rhetoric also tends to minimise the importance of the numerous bilateral disputes in the region and the way in which they may condition the specific results of the integration process (see Carlos Malamud, ARI nr 61/2005, The Increase in Bilateral Conflicts in Latin America: Its Consequences In and Outside the Region, available at Conclusion: The lack of tangible results in the regional and subregional integration process in Latin America is due more to internal issues than to external considerations. An excess of integrationist rhetoric and nationalism, combined with a lack of leadership considerably hinder any kind of significant headway in this direction. The rhetoric has led to confusion regarding goals and it has been forgotten that without any clear political goals shared by all players, any integration process is doomed to failure. Excessive nationalism has prevented and continues to prevent the transfer of the smallest amount of sovereignty for the creation of multinational bodies, which are essential to any integration process. Finally, the lack of clear leadership makes it impossible to give any process the impetus and direction necessary to reach its destination. If these problems are not solved and insisting on the danger from the north will do nothing to solve them little headway 4

5 will be made towards integration, if in fact integration really is the key to removing the obstacles to development in Latin America. 5

bilaterals.org Defining the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas -...

bilaterals.org Defining the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas -... 1 of 5 18-9-2006 19:51 posted 7-08-2006 Defining the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas - ALBA Much has been written and theorized about the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) since President

More information

OEA/Ser.G CP/INF. 7707/17 29 April 2017 Original: Spanish

OEA/Ser.G CP/INF. 7707/17 29 April 2017 Original: Spanish PERMANENT COUNCIL OEA/Ser.G CP/INF. 7707/17 29 April 2017 Original: Spanish NOTE FROM THE PERMANENT MISSION OF THE BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA ENCLOSING A COPY OF THE LETTER DENOUNCING THE CHARTER

More information

LSE Global South Unit Policy Brief Series

LSE Global South Unit Policy Brief Series ISSN 2396-765X LSE Policy Brief Series Policy Brief No.1/2018. The discrete role of Latin America in the globalization process. By Iliana Olivié and Manuel Gracia. INTRODUCTION. The global presence of

More information

The Left in Latin America Today

The Left in Latin America Today The Left in Latin America Today Midge Quandt Much to the dismay of the U.S. Government which fears losing its grip on its own back yard, left and center-left governments in Latin America have in recent

More information

SUB Hamburg A/ Talons of the Eagle. Latin America, the United States, and the World. PETER H.^MITH University of California, San Diego

SUB Hamburg A/ Talons of the Eagle. Latin America, the United States, and the World. PETER H.^MITH University of California, San Diego SUB Hamburg A/591327 Talons of the Eagle Latin America, the United States, and the World PETER H.^MITH University of California, San Diego FOURTH EDITION New York Oxford OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS BRIEF CONTENTS

More information

DECLARATION OF THE XVI ALBA-TCP POLITICAL COUNCIL

DECLARATION OF THE XVI ALBA-TCP POLITICAL COUNCIL DECLARATION OF THE XVI ALBA-TCP POLITICAL COUNCIL The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Heads of Delegations of the member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America Peoples

More information

Economic integration: an agreement between

Economic integration: an agreement between Chapter 8 Economic integration: an agreement between or amongst nations within an economic bloc to reduce and ultimately remove tariff and nontariff barriers to the free flow of products, capital, and

More information

Trans-national Policy Making:Towards Tri-Continental Perspective Abstract

Trans-national Policy Making:Towards Tri-Continental Perspective Abstract Trans-national Policy Making:Towards Tri-Continental Perspective Abstract Introduction The adverse impact of the neo-liberal reforms being aggressively pursued in the name of globalisation since the 1970s

More information

International Business

International Business International Business 10e By Charles W.L. Hill Copyright 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Chapter

More information

SECOND SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS Santiago Declaration April 18-19, 1998

SECOND SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS Santiago Declaration April 18-19, 1998 SECOND SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS Santiago Declaration April 18-19, 1998 The following document is the complete text of the Declaration of Santiago signed by the Heads of State and Government participating

More information

Venezuela s international projection post-chávez

Venezuela s international projection post-chávez > > P O L I C Y B R I E F I S S N : 1 9 8 9-2 6 6 7 Nº 157 - MAY 2013 Venezuela s international projection post-chávez Susanne Gratius and Carlos A. Romero >> Venezuela s presidential elections, held on

More information

Remarks Presented to the Council of Americas

Remarks Presented to the Council of Americas Remarks Presented to the Council of Americas By Thomas Shannon Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs [The following are excerpts of the remarks presented to the Council of Americas,

More information

The EU-Brazil Relations

The EU-Brazil Relations The EU-Brazil Relations Introduction Brazil: Background Information The Current Economic and Political Situation The European Union EU-Brazil Relations: First Steps Strategic Partnership: Contextualization.

More information

SOUTHERN CONE OF SOUTH AMERICA

SOUTHERN CONE OF SOUTH AMERICA SOUTHERN CONE OF SOUTH AMERICA REGIONAL PROGRAMMES CHF 3,637,000 Programme No. 01.20/98 The Regional Delegation (RD) has been working with the National Societies (NSs) of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay

More information

Available on:

Available on: Available on: http://mexicoyelmundo.cide.edu The only survey on International Politics in Mexico and Latin America Periodicity º Mexico 200 200 2008 20 2º Colombia y Peru 2008 20 1º Brazil y Ecuador 20-2011

More information

MIGRATION TRENDS IN SOUTH AMERICA

MIGRATION TRENDS IN SOUTH AMERICA South American Migration Report No. 1-217 MIGRATION TRENDS IN SOUTH AMERICA South America is a region of origin, destination and transit of international migrants. Since the beginning of the twenty-first

More information

Number 3 - October Economic Freedom. and Transparency. in Latin America. Pedro Isern Munné.

Number 3 - October Economic Freedom. and Transparency. in Latin America. Pedro Isern Munné. Number 3 - October 2005 Economic Freedom and Transparency in Latin America Pedro Isern Munné 2 Economic Freedom and Transparency in Latin America October 2005 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Pedro Isern Munné is Director

More information

A MODEL OF ECONOMIC INTEGRATION FOR LATIN AMERICA. importance of negotiating in block rather than individually. Block negotiation gives to

A MODEL OF ECONOMIC INTEGRATION FOR LATIN AMERICA. importance of negotiating in block rather than individually. Block negotiation gives to 1 A MODEL OF ECONOMIC INTEGRATION FOR LATIN AMERICA INTRODUCTION International trade is redefining its negotiation process. The round of Uruguay in which the WTO Treaty and its Annexes were agreed proved

More information

REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMISSION biennium

REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMISSION biennium Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean Thirty-first session of the Commission Montevideo, Uruguay, 20-24 March 2006 REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMISSION 2004-2005 biennium REPORT

More information

Analysis of bilateral and multilateral social security agreements as they relate to OAS Member-state worker pensions. (Draft for comments)

Analysis of bilateral and multilateral social security agreements as they relate to OAS Member-state worker pensions. (Draft for comments) Analysis of bilateral and multilateral social security agreements as they relate to OAS Member-state worker pensions (Draft for comments) Type of agreement Scope of analysis Number of agreements Includes

More information

International Presence in the Venezuelan Elections: Sovereignty and Cooperation as the Governing Principles

International Presence in the Venezuelan Elections: Sovereignty and Cooperation as the Governing Principles International Presence in the Venezuelan Elections: Sovereignty and Cooperation as the Governing Principles Electoral Power and Electoral Accompaniment The Electoral Power is one of the five public branches

More information

International Business Global Edition

International Business Global Edition International Business Global Edition By Charles W.L. Hill (adapted for LIUC2016 by R.Helg) Copyright 2013 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Chapter 9 Regional Economic Integration

More information

17.55, Introduction to Latin American Studies, Fall 2006 Prof. Chappell Lawson Appendix: U. S. Foreign Policy in Latin America

17.55, Introduction to Latin American Studies, Fall 2006 Prof. Chappell Lawson Appendix: U. S. Foreign Policy in Latin America 17.55, Introduction to Latin American Studies, Fall 2006 Prof. Chappell Lawson Appendix: U. S. Foreign Policy in Latin America U.S. is dominant player in region since 1898 Traditionally exercised a huge

More information

Notes and Reflections

Notes and Reflections OBSERVARE Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa Notes and Reflections THE ROLE OF PORTUGAL IN EURO-LATIN AMERICAN RELATIONS Nancy Elena Ferreira Gomes PhD student in International Relations at Universidade Nova

More information

U.S.-Latin America Trade: Recent Trends

U.S.-Latin America Trade: Recent Trends Order Code 98-840 Updated May 18, 2007 U.S.-Latin America Trade: Recent Trends Summary J. F. Hornbeck Specialist in International Trade and Finance Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Since congressional

More information

PetroCaribe Energy Cooperation Agreement

PetroCaribe Energy Cooperation Agreement University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository Latin American Energy Policies Latin American Energy Policy, Regulation and Dialogue 6-29-2005 PetroCaribe Energy Cooperation Agreement Bolivarian Republic

More information

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI)

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) SECOND MEETING OF THE WORKING GROUPS OEA/Ser.L/XIX.VI.2 OF THE XVI INTER-AMERICAN CONFERENCE CIMT-16/GT1-GT2/doc.3/11

More information

Bulletin on the Integration

Bulletin on the Integration Bulletin on the Integration of Latin America and the Caribbean Edition N 181 December 2012 Contents PARLACEN promotes creation of Community of Central American Nations (1-2) XL Central American Summit

More information

European Empires: 1660s

European Empires: 1660s European Empires: 1660s 16c-18c: New Ideas Brewing in Europe Causes of Latin American Revolutions 1. Enlightenment Ideas writings of John Locke, Voltaire, & Jean Rousseau; Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine.

More information

Handbook of Research on the International Relations of Latin America and the Caribbean

Handbook of Research on the International Relations of Latin America and the Caribbean A Handbook of Research on the International Relations of Latin America and the Caribbean G. Pope Atkins V University of Texas at Austin and United States Naval Academy 'estyiew pun» A Member of the Perseus

More information

Today he s here to answer discuss the upcoming Summit of the Americas, April in Trinidad and Tobago.

Today he s here to answer discuss the upcoming Summit of the Americas, April in Trinidad and Tobago. The Scouting Report: Previewing the Summit of the Americas Director of the Latin America Initiative Mauricio Cárdenas and Politico Senior Editor Fred Barbash April 8, 2009 12:30 Fred Barbash-Moderator:

More information

Unit 10, Activity 1, Modern Era Vocabulary

Unit 10, Activity 1, Modern Era Vocabulary Unit 10, Activity 1, Modern Era Vocabulary Key Term? Example Definition Security Council European Union Euro Welfare state Ethnic cleansing Non-violent disobedience Khmer Rouge Pan-Africanism Apartheid

More information

Lula and Lagos Countries with links under APEC and MERCOSUR

Lula and Lagos Countries with links under APEC and MERCOSUR Lula and Lagos Countries with links under APEC and MERCOSUR Hilda Sánchez ICFTU ORIT November 2004 At the end of August, the presidents of Chile and Brazil, Ricardo Lagos and Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva,

More information

UNHCR organizes vocational training and brings clean water system to the Wounaan communities in Panama

UNHCR organizes vocational training and brings clean water system to the Wounaan communities in Panama UNHCR organizes vocational training and brings clean water system to the Wounaan communities in Panama Argentina Belize Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Ecuador El Salvador Guatemala Guyana

More information

OPINION. of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Role of civil society in European development policy

OPINION. of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Role of civil society in European development policy European Economic and Social Committee REX/097 Civil society/development policy Brussels, 16 July 2003 OPINION of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Role of civil society in European development

More information

U.S.-Latin America Trade: Recent Trends

U.S.-Latin America Trade: Recent Trends Order Code 98-840 Updated January 2, 2008 U.S.-Latin America Trade: Recent Trends Summary J. F. Hornbeck Specialist in International Trade and Finance Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Since

More information

6. Trade, Investment and Financial Stability

6. Trade, Investment and Financial Stability 6. Trade, Investment and Financial Stability MANDATE Free and open economies, market access, sustained flows of investment, capital formation, financial stability, appropriate public policies, access to

More information

Chapter 14: Supranational Cooperation in the European Union 1. Introduction European Union supranational cooperation 2. The Geographic Setting

Chapter 14: Supranational Cooperation in the European Union 1. Introduction European Union supranational cooperation 2. The Geographic Setting Chapter 14: Supranational Cooperation in the European Union 1. Introduction Have you ever traveled from the United States to another country? If so, you know that crossing international borders isn't as

More information

Distr. LIMITED LC/L.4068(CEA.8/3) 22 September 2014 ENGLISH ORIGINAL: SPANISH

Distr. LIMITED LC/L.4068(CEA.8/3) 22 September 2014 ENGLISH ORIGINAL: SPANISH Distr. LIMITED LC/L.4068(CEA.8/3) 22 September 2014 ENGLISH ORIGINAL: SPANISH Eighth meeting of the Statistical Conference of the Americas of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

More information

Thinking of America. Engineering Proposals to Develop the Americas

Thinking of America. Engineering Proposals to Develop the Americas UPADI Thinking of America Engineering Proposals to Develop the Americas BACKGROUND: In September 2009, UPADI signed the Caracas Letter in Venezuela, which launched the project called Thinking of America

More information

The Fifth Summit of the Americas: Relations with the US are Played Out in Cuba (ARI)

The Fifth Summit of the Americas: Relations with the US are Played Out in Cuba (ARI) The Fifth Summit of the Americas: Relations with the US are Played Out in Cuba (ARI) Carlos Malamud and Carola García-Calvo * Theme: The Fifth Summit of the Americas allowed the US to resume dialogue with

More information

INTEGRATION, DEMOCRATIZATION AND EXTERNAL INFLUENCE. José Augusto Guilhon Albuquerque. Professor of Political Science. Director

INTEGRATION, DEMOCRATIZATION AND EXTERNAL INFLUENCE. José Augusto Guilhon Albuquerque. Professor of Political Science. Director INTEGRATION, DEMOCRATIZATION AND EXTERNAL INFLUENCE José Augusto Guilhon Albuquerque Professor of Political Science Director University of São Paulo Research Center for International Relations Paper prepared

More information

Essential Understandings

Essential Understandings Spatial Divisions Essential Understandings Spatial divisions are regions of the earth s surface over which groups of people establish social, economic, and political control. Essential Understandings Spatial

More information

Oil and gas in Latin America. An analysis of politics and international relations from the perspective of Venezuelan policy

Oil and gas in Latin America. An analysis of politics and international relations from the perspective of Venezuelan policy Oil and gas in Latin America. An analysis of politics and international relations from the perspective of Venezuelan policy Genaro Arriagada Herrera Working Paper (WP) 20/2006 26/10/2006 Oil and gas in

More information

The Americas. UNHCR Global Appeal 2017 Update

The Americas. UNHCR Global Appeal 2017 Update WORKING ENVIRONMENT Community leaders pose for a portrait at the Augusto Alvarado Castro Community Centre in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, where many people are displaced by gang violence. In the Americas,

More information

Román D. Ortiz Coordinador Área de Estudios de Seguridad y Defensa Fundación Ideas para la Paz Bogotá, Abril 30, 2009

Román D. Ortiz Coordinador Área de Estudios de Seguridad y Defensa Fundación Ideas para la Paz Bogotá, Abril 30, 2009 Dealing with a Perfect Storm? Strategic Rules for the Hemispheric Security Crisis Román D. Ortiz Coordinador Área de Estudios de Seguridad y Defensa Fundación Ideas para la Paz Bogotá, Abril 30, 2009 The

More information

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) XIV INTER-AMERICAN CONFERENCE OEA/Ser.K/XII.14.1 OF MINISTERS OF LABOR TRABAJO/DEC.1/05 September 26-27, 2005 8 December

More information

MEETING FOR ADVANCING THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN FROM VIOLENCE

MEETING FOR ADVANCING THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN FROM VIOLENCE Presentation of the MERCOSUR Institute of Public Policies on Human Rights CROSS-REGIONAL MEETING FOR ADVANCING THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN FROM VIOLENCE Jamaica, June 30, 2014 The MERCOSUR Institute of

More information

MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS The Hon. Kevin Rudd MP

MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS The Hon. Kevin Rudd MP MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS The Hon. Kevin Rudd MP REMARKS AT MERCOSUR COUNCIL OF FOREIGN AND TRADE MINISTERS FOZ DO IGUAÇU, BRAZIL 16 DECEMBER 2010 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY I am delighted to be here at

More information

LATIN AMERICAN POPULISM IN THE XXI CENTURY.

LATIN AMERICAN POPULISM IN THE XXI CENTURY. LATIN AMERICAN POPULISM IN THE XXI CENTURY. Gustavo Coronel. 1. POPULIST POLITICAL LEADERSHIP IN LATIN AMERICA. I fully agree with the description of populist leaders given by Julio Cirino in his presentation.i

More information

Brazil s Presidential Election 2010: Foreign Policy Outlook. João Augusto de Castro Neves CAC Political Consultancy

Brazil s Presidential Election 2010: Foreign Policy Outlook. João Augusto de Castro Neves CAC Political Consultancy Brazil s Presidential Election 2010: Foreign Policy Outlook João Augusto de Castro Neves CAC Political Consultancy castroneves@analisepolitica.com Brazil Institute Woodrow Wilson Center for International

More information

EURO-LATIN AMERICAN PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY. Committee for Economic, Financial and Commercial Affairs WORKING DOCUMENT

EURO-LATIN AMERICAN PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY. Committee for Economic, Financial and Commercial Affairs WORKING DOCUMENT Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly Assemblée Parlementaire Euro-Latino Américaine Asamblea Parlamentaria Euro-Latinoamericana Assembleia ParlamentarEuro-Latino-Americana EURO-LATIN AMERICAN PARLIAMTARY

More information

Executive Summary. Chapter 1: Regional integration in ASEAN, with a focus on progress toward an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)

Executive Summary. Chapter 1: Regional integration in ASEAN, with a focus on progress toward an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Executive Summary Chapter 1: Regional integration in ASEAN, with a focus on progress toward an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) ASEAN has been pursuing economic cooperation since 1976 in the midst of structural

More information

FINAL REPORT. Inter-American Meeting of Civil Society Organizations on Conflict Prevention. December 10, Ottawa, Canada

FINAL REPORT. Inter-American Meeting of Civil Society Organizations on Conflict Prevention. December 10, Ottawa, Canada FINAL REPORT Inter-American Meeting of Civil Society Organizations on Conflict Prevention December 10, 2004 Ottawa, Canada Hosted by the Canadian Foundation for the Americas In collaboration with the Canadian

More information

Americas. The WORKING ENVIRONMENT

Americas. The WORKING ENVIRONMENT REGIONAL SUMMARIES The Americas WORKING ENVIRONMENT The region is at the forefront of durable solutions, with more refugees resettled in the Americas than in any other region of the world. More than 80,000

More information

19 Sep 2012, Cechimex

19 Sep 2012, Cechimex IMPLICACIONES DE LA VISITA DEL PREMIER WEN JIA BAO A AMÉRICA DEL SUR EN JUNIO DE 2012 Sun Hongbo Institute of Latin America Studies Chinese Academy of Social Sciences 19 Sep 2012, Cechimex China's New

More information

How a Coalition of Communist, Leftist and Terrorist Movements is Threatening Freedom in the Americas

How a Coalition of Communist, Leftist and Terrorist Movements is Threatening Freedom in the Americas How a Coalition of Communist, Leftist and Terrorist Movements is Threatening Freedom in the Americas This is the transcript of an interview with Alejandro Peña Esclusa, president of UnoAmerica and the

More information

The Ecuador Situation Facing the Summit of the Americas and Other Foreign Policy Issues

The Ecuador Situation Facing the Summit of the Americas and Other Foreign Policy Issues T his paper was commissioned by the Carter Center and the Institute for the Study of International Development (ISID) to provide group of former hemisphere heads of state. The Ecuador Situation Facing

More information

Energy and Geopolitics in Latin America. Paul Isbell 10/3/2008. Working Paper 12/2008 (Translated from Spanish)

Energy and Geopolitics in Latin America. Paul Isbell 10/3/2008. Working Paper 12/2008 (Translated from Spanish) Energy and Geopolitics in Latin America Paul Isbell 10/3/2008 Working Paper 12/2008 (Translated from Spanish) Energy and Geopolitics in Latin America 1 Paul Isbell Summary Since the beginning of this century,

More information

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES. The European Union and Latin America: Global Players in Partnership {SEC(2009) 1227}

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES. The European Union and Latin America: Global Players in Partnership {SEC(2009) 1227} COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES Brussels, COM(2009) 495/3 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL The European Union and Latin America: Global Players in Partnership

More information

Opportunities for Convergence and Regional Cooperation

Opportunities for Convergence and Regional Cooperation of y s ar al m s m po Su pro Opportunities for Convergence and Regional Cooperation Unity Summit of Latin America and the Caribbean Riviera Maya, Mexico 22 and 23 February 2010 Alicia Bárcena Executive

More information

VIII SOUTH-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ON MIGRATIONS. Montevideo- Uruguay- September 17 19, 2008

VIII SOUTH-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ON MIGRATIONS. Montevideo- Uruguay- September 17 19, 2008 VIII SOUTH-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ON MIGRATIONS Montevideo- Uruguay- September 17 19, 2008 DECLARATION OF MONTEVIDEO - MIGRATION, DEVELOPMENT AND HUMAN RIGHTS OF MIGRANTS The Representatives of the Republic

More information

Latin America and the Cold War. Kiana Frederick

Latin America and the Cold War. Kiana Frederick Latin America and the Cold War Kiana Frederick Post WWII Adjustments Post WWII Adjustments Sharp differences arose between the United States and Latin America after WWII. Latin American leaders felt they

More information

THE NEW CUBA MOMENT: CAN LATIN AMERICAN STATES HELP SPARK REFORM?

THE NEW CUBA MOMENT: CAN LATIN AMERICAN STATES HELP SPARK REFORM? CARNEGIE RISING DEMOCRACIES NETWORK THE NEW CUBA MOMENT: CAN LATIN AMERICAN STATES HELP SPARK REFORM? FEDERICO MERKE SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 The opening of diplomatic relations between the United States and

More information

Nation Building and economic transformation in the americas,

Nation Building and economic transformation in the americas, Chapter 23 Nation Building and economic transformation in the americas, 1800-1890 BEFORE YOU BEGIN Most students have significantly more knowledge of U.S. history than other regions in the Americas. This

More information

2 Now with less than three years to 2010 there is still a lot to do to achieve, even partially, the target, adopted by us in Johannesburg, of reducing

2 Now with less than three years to 2010 there is still a lot to do to achieve, even partially, the target, adopted by us in Johannesburg, of reducing STATEMENT OF HER EXCELENCY MARINA SILVA, MINISTER OF THE ENVIRONMENT OF BRAZIL, at the Fifth Trondheim Conference on Biodiversity Ecosystems and People biodiversity for development the road to 2010 and

More information

The state of anti-corruption Assessing government action in the americas. A study on the implementation of the Summit of Americas mandates

The state of anti-corruption Assessing government action in the americas. A study on the implementation of the Summit of Americas mandates The state of anti-corruption Assessing government action in the americas A study on the implementation of the Summit of Americas mandates www.transparency.org Transparency International is the global civil

More information

Celestino del Arenal

Celestino del Arenal FROM THE 2004 IBERO-AMERICAN SUMMIT (SAN JOSÉ, COSTA RICA) TO THE 2005 IBERO-AMERICAN SUMMIT (SALAMANCA, SPAIN) Celestino del Arenal Working Paper (WP) 5/2005 From the 2004 Ibero-American summit (San José,

More information

The Scouting Report: A New Partnership with Latin America

The Scouting Report: A New Partnership with Latin America The Scouting Report: A New Partnership with Latin America Since his election, President Barack Obama has been courting nations in Latin America, pledging an equal partnership on issues such as the global

More information

island Cuba: Reformulation of the Economic Model and External Insertion I. Economic Growth and Development in Cuba: some conceptual challenges.

island Cuba: Reformulation of the Economic Model and External Insertion I. Economic Growth and Development in Cuba: some conceptual challenges. Issue N o 13 from the Providing Unique Perspectives of Events in Cuba island Cuba: Reformulation of the Economic Model and External Insertion Antonio Romero, Universidad de la Habana November 5, 2012 I.

More information

BOLIVARIAN ALTERNATIVE FOR THE AMERICAS (ALBA): HOW IT IS IMPORTANT FOR WOMEN

BOLIVARIAN ALTERNATIVE FOR THE AMERICAS (ALBA): HOW IT IS IMPORTANT FOR WOMEN PARLIAMENTARY CONFEDERATION OF THE AMERICAS (COPA) 8th GENERAL ASSEMBLY 7th MEETING OF COPA S NETWORK OF WOMEN PARLIAMENTARIANS OF THE AMERICAS PRESENTATION BY VENEZUELA BOLIVARIAN ALTERNATIVE FOR THE

More information

Growing Pains in the Americas THE EUROPEAN MOMENT ( )

Growing Pains in the Americas THE EUROPEAN MOMENT ( ) Growing Pains in the Americas THE EUROPEAN MOMENT (1750 1900) Or we could call today s notes: The history of the Western Hemisphere in the 19 th century as they face problems keeping order and confront

More information

Issue: Venezuela s crisis and its impact on the American Continent

Issue: Venezuela s crisis and its impact on the American Continent Committee: Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Issue: Venezuela s crisis and its impact on the American Continent Student Officer: Alexandra Palaiologou Position: Deputy President INTRODUCTION Venezuela

More information

Nobody builds walls better than me US Policy towards Latin America under Donald Trump

Nobody builds walls better than me US Policy towards Latin America under Donald Trump Security Policy Working Paper, No. 15/2017 Nobody builds walls better than me US Policy towards Latin America under Donald Trump by Stefan Scheller (translated from German by the Federal Office of Languages)

More information

His Excellency Juan Carlos Varela, President of the Republic of Panama;

His Excellency Juan Carlos Varela, President of the Republic of Panama; KEY REMARKS BY ARMY GENERAL RAUL CASTRO RUZ, PRESIDENT OF THE STATE COUNCIL AND THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF THE REPUBLIC OF CUBA, AT THE 7 th SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS, PANAMA CITY, PANAMA, APRIL 10-11, 2015

More information

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES EN EN EN COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES Brussels, 24 May 2006 COM (2006) 249 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE

More information

Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Procedures for the Organic Operation of CELAC

Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Procedures for the Organic Operation of CELAC Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Procedures for the Organic Operation of CELAC Preamble The Heads of States and Government of the Member Countries of the Community of the Latin

More information

Libro completo en: INTRODUCTION

Libro completo en:   INTRODUCTION Arturo Oropeza García * I. In 1916, after the deaths of more than 10 million people and the atrocities of a First World War that looked for, among other objectives, the new hegemonic definitions of the

More information

Diversity of Cultural Expressions

Diversity of Cultural Expressions Diversity of Cultural Expressions 4 IGC Distribution: limited CE/10/4.IGC/205/INF.4 Paris, 9 November 2010 Original: French INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE FOR THE PROTECTION AND PROMOTION OF THE DIVERSITY

More information

Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the Free Trade Area of the Americas, Possibilities of Cross- Pacific Cooperation

Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the Free Trade Area of the Americas, Possibilities of Cross- Pacific Cooperation University of Miami Law School Institutional Repository University of Miami Inter-American Law Review 7-1-1997 Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the Free Trade Area of the Americas, Possibilities

More information

1. Recognition of independence 4

1. Recognition of independence 4 CONTENTS Introductory note Preface List of works referred to iii vii xxi Chapter I HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF INTER-AMERICAN UNITY, 1822-1889 1. Recognition of independence 4 a. Principle of self-determination

More information

INTERNATIONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL SETTING FOR PROMOTING DECENT WORK IN THE CARIBBEAN POLITICAL CONTEXT: THE DECENT WORK AGENDA FOR THE AMERICAS

INTERNATIONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL SETTING FOR PROMOTING DECENT WORK IN THE CARIBBEAN POLITICAL CONTEXT: THE DECENT WORK AGENDA FOR THE AMERICAS INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean INTERNATIONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL SETTING FOR PROMOTING DECENT WORK IN THE CARIBBEAN POLITICAL CONTEXT: THE DECENT WORK AGENDA

More information

Andean. Petropolitics in Latin America A Review of Energy Policy and Regional Relations. Genaro Arriagada. Introduction.

Andean. Petropolitics in Latin America A Review of Energy Policy and Regional Relations. Genaro Arriagada. Introduction. December 2006 Petropolitics in Latin America A Review of Energy Policy and Regional Relations Genaro Arriagada I N T E R - A M E R I C A N D I A L O G U E Introduction Worldwide, energy concerns are increasingly

More information

Teachers Name: Nathan Clayton Course: World History Academic Year/Semester: Fall 2012-Spring 2013

Teachers Name: Nathan Clayton Course: World History Academic Year/Semester: Fall 2012-Spring 2013 Amory High School Curriculum Map Teachers Name: Nathan Clayton Course: World History Academic Year/Semester: Fall 2012-Spring 2013 Essential Questions First Nine Weeks Second Nine Weeks Third Nine Weeks

More information

Opportunities from Globalization for European Companies

Opportunities from Globalization for European Companies Karel De Gucht European Commissioner for Trade EUROPEAN COMMISSION [CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY] Opportunities from Globalization for European Companies High-level conference "Spain: from Stability to Growth"

More information

SAARC and its Significance for Regional Cooperation

SAARC and its Significance for Regional Cooperation INSTITUTE OF STRATEGIC STUDIES web: www.issi.org.pk phone: +92-920-4423, 24 fax: +92-920-4658 Issue Brief SAARC and its Significance for Regional Cooperation Muhammad Taimur Fahad Khan, Research Assistant,

More information

Rapporteur's report on Committee III (Extracontractual Liability)

Rapporteur's report on Committee III (Extracontractual Liability) Rapporteur's report on Committee III (Extracontractual Liability) REPORT OF THE RAPPORTEUR OF COMMITTEE III CONFLICT OF LAWS ON EXTRACONTRACTUAL LIABILITY, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON COMPETENCY OF JURISDICTION

More information

Energy Reform in Mexico: Lessons and Warnings from International Law

Energy Reform in Mexico: Lessons and Warnings from International Law Texas A&M University School of Law Texas A&M Law Scholarship Faculty Scholarship 2014 Energy Reform in Mexico: Lessons and Warnings from International Law Guillermo J. Garcia Sanchez Texas A&M University

More information

Economic Freedom in the Bolivarian Andes Is Melting Away

Economic Freedom in the Bolivarian Andes Is Melting Away No. 1157 Delivered March 2, 2010 June 29, 2010 Economic Freedom in the Bolivarian Andes Is Melting Away James M. Roberts Abstract: In the past, Bolivarian referred to those Andean countries that had been

More information

Fórum Social Mundial Memória FSM memoriafsm.org

Fórum Social Mundial Memória FSM memoriafsm.org Este documento faz parte do Repositório Institucional do Fórum Social Mundial Memória FSM memoriafsm.org Which alter-globalism after the "end of neo-liberalism"? By Bernard Cassen and Christophe Ventura

More information

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2012 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Organization of American States Organization of American States INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS Second Report of the Continuous

More information

THE AMERICAS. The countries of the Americas range from THE AMERICAS: QUICK FACTS

THE AMERICAS. The countries of the Americas range from THE AMERICAS: QUICK FACTS THE AMERICAS THE AMERICAS The countries of the Americas range from the continent-spanning advanced economies of Canada and the United States to the island microstates of the Caribbean. The region is one

More information

Revolutions in Latin America (19c - Early 20c) Ms. Susan M. Pojer & Ms. Lisbeth Rath Horace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY

Revolutions in Latin America (19c - Early 20c) Ms. Susan M. Pojer & Ms. Lisbeth Rath Horace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY Revolutions in Latin America (19c - Early 20c) Ms. Susan M. Pojer & Ms. Lisbeth Rath Horace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY European Empires: 1660s 16c-18c: New Ideas Brewing in Europe 4. Preoccupation of Spain

More information

SEC SYLLABUS (2017) SEC 18

SEC SYLLABUS (2017) SEC 18 HISTORY SEC SYLLABUS (2017) SEC 18 SYLLABUS 1 History SEC 18 (Not available in September) Syllabus Paper 1 (2 hrs) + Paper 2 (2 hrs) Aims The syllabus aims: (a) to stimulate interest in and enthusiasm

More information

BAROMETER OF THE ELCANO ROYAL INSTITUTE (BRIE)

BAROMETER OF THE ELCANO ROYAL INSTITUTE (BRIE) BAROMETER OF THE ELCANO ROYAL INSTITUTE (BRIE) 1 th EDITION RESULTS OF MARCH 007 PRESS SUMMARY Madrid, March 007 FAVOURABLE OPINION OF MERKEL AND ROYAL Spain s pro-european attitude is unsinkable. Fifty-three

More information

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES Brussels, 15.7.2008 COM(2008) 447 final COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Towards an EU-Mexico Strategic Partnership EN

More information

Four Latin American Summits and Brazil s Leadership. Carlos Malamud 17/3/2009. Working Paper 3/2009 (Translated from Spanish)

Four Latin American Summits and Brazil s Leadership. Carlos Malamud 17/3/2009. Working Paper 3/2009 (Translated from Spanish) Four Latin American Summits and Brazil s Leadership Carlos Malamud 17/3/2009 Working Paper 3/2009 (Translated from Spanish) Four Latin American Summits and Brazil s Leadership Carlos Malamud Summary Four

More information

EU-India relations post-lisbon: cooperation in a changing world New Delhi, 23 June 2010

EU-India relations post-lisbon: cooperation in a changing world New Delhi, 23 June 2010 EU-India relations post-lisbon: cooperation in a changing world New Delhi, 23 June 2010 I am delighted to be here today in New Delhi. This is my fourth visit to India, and each time I come I see more and

More information

European Parliament recommendation to the Council of 12 March 2009 on an EU-Mexico Strategic Partnership (2008/2289(INI))

European Parliament recommendation to the Council of 12 March 2009 on an EU-Mexico Strategic Partnership (2008/2289(INI)) P6_TA(2009)0141 EU-Mexico Strategic Partnership European Parliament recommendation to the Council of 12 March 2009 on an EU-Mexico Strategic Partnership (2008/2289(INI)) The European Parliament, having

More information

VENEZUELA TRADE SUMMARY

VENEZUELA TRADE SUMMARY TRADE SUMMARY VENEZUELA In 1999, the U.S. trade deficit with Venezuela was $5.9 billion, an increase of $3.1 billion from the U.S. trade deficit of $2.8 billion in 1998. U.S. merchandise exports to Venezuela

More information