Alba y Alianza del Pacífico: Choque de integraciones?

Abstract

Since the second half of the twentieth century, Latin America has developed a tendency to integration. And though its beginning was based on the European model, it is undeniable that its path has been based on a singular and own one. Then, in the twenty first century, these experiences have had political similarities and shared objectives, confirming the idea that regional identity is also socially constructed. Certainly, this view implies conflicts that deal with leadership. An example of this is the FTAA Agreement (Free Trade Area of the Americas Agreement), which has institutionalized proposals between the United States and Brazil, or the USAN (Union of South American Nations) or the different development strategies that are presented in the formation of different blocks. In two of these alliances, the ALBA and the Pacific Alliance, it is easier to visualize an ideological and programmatic conflict. The ALBA has a concrete integration goal, in which the social debt will allow to display the direct soft power resources. Meanwhile, the Alianza del Pacífico will respond to the open regionalism model, although it will have to be renewed by replacing the cooperative competence in the access of the Asian Pacific markets.