The Dilemmas of South American Integration

At the beginning of the new millennium, many initiatives proliferated envisioning the establishment of an integrated economic zone in South America. Venezuela joining Mercosur and the proposals of the South American Community of Nations (CASA) and of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA) are some examples of initiatives, which are part of a process that began in the 1980s and has since gained increasing economic and political importance. The inter-regional integration initiatives in which Brazil has played a leading role have distinguished themselves as an alternative political and economic project from that which the United States has implemented in North America (NAFTA), Central America (CAFTA), and for the entire region [FTAA (The Free Trade Area of the Americas)], as well as the bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs), which the US has signed independently with Chile, Colombia and the Caribbean nations in addition to a proposed agreement with Peru. This project of forming an economic bloc will strengthen bargaining power and create stronger economic and social unity and influence for the countries in the region in international forums and organizations.

By Carlos Aguiar de Medeiros.

From the Rede Desenvolvimentista.

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