27 Feb 2023

Presentations: informal part can be a game (quizlet type thing) or testing classmates
“Do you know _____?” DISCUSS institutions with your group, over a beer or however
you want. NO lack of coordination! Elaborated idea.

--if you want further readings, email prof.

Latin america REGIONALISM

1) Antecedents
1810 -1825 (50 years) most former spanish/portuguese colonies gained independence

Building strong nation

Antecedents
Unitary project

Improving institutions -military, whatever related to “founding fathers”, national anthem, flag, etc
In latin america there is also the tradition of pledging allegiance to the flag…..reinforces national
building !

Seeking autonomy - to make own decisions. Difficult to do for small community.

2) Old regionalism 50’s-60’s

State led project, focused on particular issue mainly security issue
(?????) Under marshall plan - To avoid europe being under the red fear of communism
in the cold war period
(???) ASEAN -association of southeast asian nations (1969) vietnam conflict avoid
conflict within the region
Latin america= ECLAC /CEPAL (spanish)
ECLAC under UN umbrella director was argentinian economist (Raul Prebisch) Marxist
type thought that problem = Latin american encounters were exporting many raw
materials without adding value or fixing price but they needed to import products with
added value. Dependent economic pattern of behavior.
Strategy : ISI-- industrialization by substituting imports. Meant development wouldnt
work by continuing to export cotton, oil, gold and then buy cars from the north. Needed
to ~industrialize. Even if it took time.
ISI didn’t work :( , good idea tho
ECLAC transformed into 1960 LAFTA / ALALC(spanish)
Problem remains the same now - no change since 60’s
Brazil, Argentina, Mexico were getting most benefits
 Lack of success with LAFTA -- 1969 Andean group created (??? countries??)
Sept 11 1973 coup d'etat Chile withdraws from ANDEAN group. Now chile is a ~weird
actor in Latin America
Chile did an experiment to liberalize economy
Chile & USA have strong ties . strongest partnership for USA in L.A.
Chile no diplomatic ties to Bolivia
Chile cannot import gas/energy from Bolivia !
Bolivia lost access to the sea due to war in 18th century. Has created ~continuous
tension!
-no institution will disappear. NEVER, doesn’t work? Will be on standby. Cost to kill an
institution is too high. (this is a criticism)(“zombie institutions”)
ALALC was reformulated in 1980 --------> LAIA (L.A. integration association)(visit in
Montevideo, Uruguay)

3) New regionalism
1990s! Implosion of soviet union. proliferation of regional mechanisms.
EU- maastricht treaty
More about markets and economy, not the state. Globalization, priority = how regions
are able to be part of an increasingly globalized econ
Market led and economic in the 90’s
Building “neighborhood” to be better and improve economic performance
1994 NAFTA/ TLCAN North American Free Trade Agreement Canada/ USA
incorporates Mexico. Mexico attached to USA politics since then (for better or worse)
and disconnected from rest of L.A.
1994 Chiapas rebellion -Attempt to organize by indigenous patterns/ same day as
enactment of NAFTA
1996- CAN (comunidad Andina)(Andian community) tried to imitate european political
design but the countries are different….so it didn’t work
1991 MERCOSUR - created in uruguay, It’s ARG, BR, URU, PAR Mercado commun del
sur to create a common market STILL no common market :/
1983 Raul Alfonsin first democratically elected president (in argentina)
1985- BR jose sarnez (sp?)
80’s argentina and BR had new democratic governments that were weak and being
threatened by the military . together being weak they decided to join together. ORIGIN of
Mercosur!
Mercosur adds Chile later.
1998 mercosur successful, increased intra regional trade (in Europe we have 70
something in most of L.A. countries most is extra-regional trade (due to colonial legacy)
and most economies are competitive among that. In 1990’s mercosur was able to foster
(9-18%) intraregional trade. Like connecting argentinian and brazilian econ.
1998 DOWNFALL of mercosur---devaluation of BR currency, following years political
instability/ riots/ econ crises….
4) Postliberal regionalism
21st century baybeeeeee
Economic recipe didn’t work :(
Tequila crisis in mexico

2005: Argentina Mar De Plata ANTI-BUSH (USA) freetrade for americas

discarded….USA tried to get closer bilaterally to those who would get closer (Mexico,
Columbia, Peru, Chile) rest of L.A. mainly against USA
Hugo Chavez initiative to go against FTAA/ALCA and ALBA acronym stayed the same
but name changed. ALBA mostly a venezuelan initiative
Chavez democratically elected.gave voice to those considered invisible in Venez. Was in
jail for a failed coup d'etat. In 1998 won elections. WHY him? He promised people they
would be ~part of the political system…
Lack of inclusiveness turned rich country into a very poor country.
2002- coup d'etat attempt, the “new president” was already supported by USA & spain.
Finally the people supported Chavez and coup d'etat failed but……message was there
“you’re alone chavez.” criticism: econ speaking Chavez changed nothing. He and his
successor Reinforced dependency on oil exports.
Now-- political solutions are bad or ~worse according to prof.
Venezuelans have moved to Miami or recently Madrird (given the “right” economic
situation) due to crisis within the country.
ALBA was a Chavez diplomatic platform…was useful while there was still money. Today
is a sort of “zombie institution”
Unasur: 2007-2009,( in 90’s Brazil was already thinking of how to become most
important actor in south america (1994 mexico part of NAFTA & USA’s influence) new
concept was coined -panama canal to south became south america….and brazilian
sphere of influence. In 2000 FH Cardoso (BR pres) organized 1st south american
summit & BR was the leader of it. This ITAMARATY (BR ministry of foreign affairs able to
speak just about south america …excluding Mexico from the region.
2004- CSN created , a BR initiative to try to foster new geopolitical entity (South
america)
CSN ----> economic integration, infrastructure, (L.A. has important lack of
infrastructure. Due to jungles, sure but also lack of incentive. Oceanic corridors created
for BR products to go out to china and southeast asia. Not really to help intraregional
trade.), political stability - Lula (2003-2010, 2 terms in BR…poor family, working party,
lost 3 times then finally elected) delivered quid pro quo of the market (obama said this
guy was one of the most charismatic people in the world.) BR being the country of the
future made it seem like the future was here now. Lula’s leadership transformed BR into
a regional power AND a global actor

2007 Isla Margarita - summit of L.A. actors, clash between hugo chavez (anti
imperialism and US) & Lula Da Silva( economic integration…..)
Unasur. UNION. Economic integration DISAPPEARS from unasur. They do not deal with
this.
SO unasur= infrastructures & political stability now.
Unasur successful at dealing with regional political instability from beginning (2008).
[most powerful diplomatic tool in L.A. is the capacity to negotiate…]
Sept 11 2008 murder in Bolivia (majority indigenous in Bolivia). Porvenir massacre.Pres
Evo Morales had called for constitutional reform to give more rights to indigenous
peoples. Almost a civil war. UNASUR deescalated tension to avoid a civil war. 1st time
south american deals with issues themselves without outside actors (aka USA) + many
other examples afterwards
UNASUR was essential in stablizing the region
L.A. is the most peaceful region on earth…..in terms of interstate wars (according to
prof)
Unasur failure or success? It depends.
If Unasur was in place when covid took place would it have been better? A forum to
coordinate…
Unasur mainly a brazilian initiative

CELAC : The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

Celac mainly a mexican initiative ----To reconnect to the region.
United by diversity. INCLUSIVENESS becomes one of the futures (rio grande to the
south= CELAC , including caribbean countries. 33 countries)
Everything under the rio grande, explicitly excluding USA and Canada.
Celac has no institutional design, the country hosting the presidency hosts the CELAC
meeting. (???) but no real accountability or commitment.
CELAC is about ad hoc meetings, an environment to know each other/ to talk. To
create solutions/solve disagreements over a cup of coffee.
Pacific alliance: Mex, peru, COL, Chile to collab to export more to asian pacific
audiences . these 4 countries traditionally closer to USA/ open to market.

If you keep exporting commodities without changing economic structures…just

fueling elites. It doesn’t go too well. Political dimension is complex without any
clear solution.