Regionalism under Stress: Europe and Latin America in Comparative Perspective

ALEJANDRO FRENKEL

Buenos Aires

Conferencia; 6th World International Studies Committee Global Conference; 2022

World International Studies Committee

The majority of the Union of South American Union (UNASUR) withdrew from the organization. What is happening in the subcontinent? Created as a platform for dialogue and cooperation among its members, UNASUR was defined by a vast literature as a project to increase autonomy in the regional decision-making process. Even though the block represents a new form of regionalism, it is currently suffering the effects of disintegration dynamics. This chapter focuses on these effects, highlighting the main stress factors that have been impacting on UNASUR over the last years, namely: the crisis of multilateralism, a revised open regionalism, a new electoral cycle in the region and the political fragility of the South American States. Furthermore, a structural framework of “post-globalization”, different foreign policies profiles and absence of regional leadership exacerbate the stress factors, making UNASUR less resilient to fragmentation dynamics.