Progressive ties wither in southern cone.
| Autor | Gaudin, Andres |
The process of regional integration, which blossomed in the last half of the last decade as South American countries created effective and powerful regional organizations, has stagnated, admit progressive leaders in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Uruguay who had supported cooperation. Although many blame the resurgence of right-wing governments for the backsliding, some analysts say that it's no surprise that the reversal happened in the wake of the deaths of former Presidents Nestor Kirchner (2003-2007) of Argentina in October 2010 (NotiSur, Dec. 3, 2010) and Hugo Chavez (1999-2013) of Venezuela in March 2013 (NotiSur, April 5, 2013). Both leaders were driving forces behind efforts to get South American countries to work together.
Key UNASUR post vacant
As the 12-member Union de Naciones Suramericanas (UNASUR) struggles to fill the key post of secretary-general, "There are forces acting to destroy this organization that has defended regional democracy," said Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa (NotiSur, May 30, 2008). When Surinam took charge of UNASUR's pro tempore presidency at the Paramaribo summit last August there was no consensus on selecting a candidate to replace Alf Rodriguez whose term had expired at that time.
In a similar vein to Correa's comments, Bolivia's Evo Morales spoke directly about a "conspiracy from the North [United States] to break mechanisms that unify us." Both Correa and Morales also decried UNASUR's inability to respond in unison to the news that US intelligence services had spied on Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff (NotiSur, Oct. 11, 2013).
Correa, the first to warn that the integration process had stagnated, pointed to three organizations his country belongs to: UNASUR, the Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra America (ALBA), and the Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribenos (CELAC) [NotiSur Jan. 6, 2012, and April 5, 2013]. During a visit to Bolivia, the Ecuadoran president on Oct. 3 denounced a "great conservative counteroffensive" and "a rebuilding of the right (NotiSur, Nov. 1, 2013)."
"We must recognize this new reality in order to get back on track with more energy and intelligence," Correa said. He later spoke of backward forces identified with countries in the Alianza del Pacifico (Colombia, Chile, Mexico, and Peru). He said it's no coincidence that the five coup d'etat attempts of the 21st century--whether successful or not--"were carried out against progressive...
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