The Shifting Landscape of Latin American Regionalism

Shifter, Michael

doi:10.1525/curh.2012.111.742.56

Cited by 8 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…Robust institutions are particularly important in areas that require intensive policy coordination, as is the case with CELAC's goal of creating a common‐tariff policy to reduce trade protectionism. The problem is that CELAC is quite weak institutionally; as Shifter (, p. 59) has argued, its creation reflects a move toward “increased cooperation and political dialogue, which constitute the spirit and tenor of ‘regionalism,’ but without any serious attempt to cede sovereignty, which is the essence of integration.” CELAC operates largely through ministerial meetings, which set policy goals, and working groups, which meet regularly but lack compliance mechanisms to hold shirkers to account (CELAC, ). This setup is compounded by the lack of a permanent headquarters and a voice independent from member states, as would be found in a secretary‐general and bureaucracy (Segovia, , p. 101).”…”

Section: Evaluating Celac: Institutional Weakness Competing Visionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite its international ambitions, like Mexico, Brazil's strategic goals do not necessarily favor a strong CELAC. As Shifter (, p. 59) notes, “Brazil's priority in the Americas is clearly centered on UNASUR [the Union of South American Nations], which is seen as an instrument for maintaining social peace and order in the wider region.” UNASUR, a Brazil‐initiated South American organization, is more institutionalized than CELAC, insofar as it includes provisions for a permanent bureaucracy, has generated a collective security system known as the South American Defense Council, and is leading toward the consolidation of two preexisting customs unions, the Andean Community and Mercosur. Given their substantial overlap, the risk is that progress in UNASUR may mean diminished efforts in CELAC.…”

Section: Evaluating Celac: Institutional Weakness Competing Visionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…

“It's the death sentence for the Monroe Doctrine” – Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega (quoted in Wallis & Cawthorne, ) on the foundation of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).“CELAC isn't being born to be against anyone” – Columbian President Juan Manuel Santos (quoted in Shifter, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…“CELAC isn't being born to be against anyone” – Columbian President Juan Manuel Santos (quoted in Shifter, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Two Steps Forward? Assessing Latin American Regionalism Through CELAC

Kennedy¹,

Beaton²

2016

Latin American Policy

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Dreams of Latin American integration are as old as decolonization itself, with Sim on Bolivar's vision of a league of American republics the first of myriad attempts at multilateral engagement. Indeed, the Americas region has challenged Europe at least nominally in its attempts at regionalism and integration. This article investigates the case of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the most recent and arguably ambitious attempt at Latin American cooperation. The article adopts a "two-step" approach to evaluate the extent to which CELAC is able to achieve its goals. Drawing first on neoliberal institutionalist research in global governance, it argues that CELAC's structural weaknesses and the conflicting interests of its core members raise doubts about its ability to accomplish its wide-ranging material ambitions, including economic integration and promotion of development. It then counters that to focus solely on CELAC's inabilities to facilitate material cooperation would be to overlook the other purposes and functions of the institution, which are continuing to construct, consolidate, and frame a regional identity. Following recent constructivist research, CELAC is framed as a vehicle for the articulation of a shared Latin American identity; it arises out of a continuing and mutually constituting process of region construction and recognition.Los sueños de integraci on latinoamericana han existido desde la descolonizaci on. En realidad, la visi on de las Rep ublicas Americanas de Sim on Bol ıvar fue el primero de una mir ıada de intentos de compromiso multilateral. Por lo menos nominalmente, las Am ericas han competido con Europa en sus intentos de regionalizaci on e integraci on. Este art ıculo investiga el caso de la Comunidad de los Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños (CELAC), el m as reciente y quiz as m as ambicioso intento de cooperaci on latinoamericana. Este art ıculo adopta una estrategia te orica compuesta de dos partes para evaluar la capacidad de CELAC de lograr sus metas. Empleando la literatura sobre institucionalismo neoliberal de gobernanza global, argumenta que las debilidades estructurales de CELAC y los intereses en conflicto de sus Estados miembros clave crean dudas sobre su capacidad de lograr sus ambiciones materiales de amplio espectro, como la integraci on econ omica y la promoci on del desarrollo. Sin embargo, fijarse s olo en estas incapacidades para facilitar la cooperaci on material significa omitir las otras funciones y objetivos de la instituci on: continuar la construcci on, consolidaci on, y formulaci on de una identidad regional. En l ınea con la literatura constructivista reciente, CELAC aparece como un veh ıculo para la articulaci on de una identidad compartida latinoamericana. Surge de un proceso actual y mutuamente constitutivo de construcci on y reconocimiento regional.

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Section: Evaluating Celac: Institutional Weakness Competing Visionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Evaluating Celac: Institutional Weakness Competing Visionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…“CELAC isn't being born to be against anyone” – Columbian President Juan Manuel Santos (quoted in Shifter, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Two Steps Forward? Assessing Latin American Regionalism Through CELAC

Kennedy¹,

Beaton²

2016

Latin American Policy

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“…For further reading on recent contextual changes for democracy promotion in the Americas, see Amaral (), Hakim (), Inter‐American Dialogue (), Russell (), and Shifter ().…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Shifting Sands of Regional Governance: The Case of Inter‐American Democracy Promotion

Legler

2012

Politics & Policy

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This article evaluates the limits and possibilities of Inter-American democracy promotion through the application of a five-part governance framework: the nature of the problem, governance architecture, the actor set, the construction of a sphere of authority, and contextual factors. I argue that the ability of the Organization of American States (OAS) to promote and defend democracy effectively has been hampered by a series of important changes in context: the structure of power, material conditions, regionalism, and ideology and discourse. The conditions that originally fostered the creation of an Inter-American defense of democracy regime during the 1990s have been largely replaced in the new millennium by strong impediments to the consolidation of this issue area as a sphere of authority. Unless the OAS acquires more stable contextual foundations, the future of Inter-American democracy promotion will remain highly problematic.

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International Regime Complexity and Regional Governance: Evidence from the Americas

Gomez-Mera¹

2015

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The Shifting Landscape of Latin American Regionalism

Abstract: Brazil's rise, coupled with the diminished influence of the United States and the increasingly salient global role of China, has reshuffled the kaleidoscope of regional organizations.…

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

Two Steps Forward? Assessing Latin American Regionalism Through CELAC

Two Steps Forward? Assessing Latin American Regionalism Through CELAC

The Shifting Sands of Regional Governance: The Case of Inter‐American Democracy Promotion

International Regime Complexity and Regional Governance: Evidence from the Americas

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