A evolução do fenómeno da integração regional na América Latina do pós-guerra fria à actualidade

Abstract

O artigo aborda a temática da integração regional na América Latina.

This article aims to take stock of regional integration in Latin America in the period considered as the “second wave” of regional integration. In the last few years, integration has taken a new road. This article analyses the potential of new subregional trade regimes, such as the Mercosul, the Bolivarian Alternative, and the South American Community of Nations. The new hemispheric realignments need to be viewed both within the context of a changing external environment and as the result of changes in social and economic power within Latin American countries. There are two main reasons why South American countries are attempting to create new regional integration mecha nisms: first, on the economic front, the region’s leaders view integration as beneficial to their interests; second, on the political front, the continent’s majority of center-left governments see South American unity as a way to counteract Washington’s self-serving designs for the region. Some countries have focused on critiquing and blocking the spread of U.S. led economic integration initiatives, such as the Free Trade Area of the Americas.