The resurgence of integrationist efforts in Latin America in the 1990s has led to extensive discussion about the challenges, opportunities, and benefits of free trade in the region. However, the way and the opportunity that these efforts, as instances of institutionalized regional cooperation have arisen, has not been sufficiently addressed by Latin American theorists of international relations. This essay presents an analytical and conceptual framework, based on the logic of collective action and absolute gains in interstate relations, as well as on regime theory, to reflect on Latin American integration from a systemic perspective of international relations. An examination of the convergence between the political preferences of the like-minded Latin American states of the 1980s is presented, which allows us to understand how integration became a tool to achieve the individual goals of each state.
Keywords:
Integration, Latin America, International Relations Theory, Regional Cooperation, Crisis
Author Biography
José Raúl Perales
Licenciado en ciencias políticas de la Universidad de Puerto Rico; candidato a doctor en ciencias políticas de la Universidad de Michigan (Ann Arbor).
Perales, J. R. (1998). La cooperación regional institucionalizada y los retos de la crisis estructural en América Latina. Estudios Internacionales, 31(121-122), p. 91–113. https://doi.org/10.5354/0719-3769.1998.15098
Twitter