Collapse of UNAUR: Causes, Course and Prospects

Absztrakt (kivonat)

The purpose of this work is to analyze the phenomenon of regional cooperation in South America through the study of the causes that led UNASUR to its deadlock. This research will cover a time period between 2000 and 2020 including the events that contributed to make of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) a special cooperation scheme aimed at generating a growing coordination between South American countries. The consolidation of UNASUR in the region were understood as part of the consolidation process of South America as a relevant pole in the world. In a few years, UNASUR contributed to decompress and prosecute various institutional crises. Apparently, these events represented a significant achievement in relation to what had happened before its creation, mainly because it showed that South American countries, acting in a coordinated manner, do not require the protection of states or entities exogenous to the region. Furthermore, it can be argued that the scope of UNASUR as cooperation scheme was different than those established since the 70s in which the primary objectives, among others, were related to the enhancing of the intra-regional trade. This work assesses the major advances in UNASUR through a comprehensive analysis of two of its constitutive bodies such as the General Secretariat and the South American Defense Council (SADC). In this regard, important challenges faced by that the union are identified, for instance, the tendency to address and resolve crises through the meeting of presidents at summit meetings. These meetings were reactive to critical situations, rather than developing consistent policies and coordinated strategies on structural change. Thus, the analysis suggests that UNASUR has stagnated in the form of an intergovernmental platform with nonbinding discussion forums. On the other hand, when analyzing specific events that contributed to UNASUR´s stagnation, important notions and definitions such as pink tide, perception of national sovereignty, supranationalism, intergovernmentalism, national interests and others; are addressed in order to explain the complex decision-making process within this scheme. Finally, this work concludes that events such as the mediation of UNASUR in the Venezuelan crisis, the shifts in Brazil´s foreign policy, the decline of the so-called Pink Tide, the subsequent right-turn that affected most of the member-states, and the Odebrecht case, had significant impact on the course of action of UNASUR.