The Politics of Regional Integration in Latin America

Abstract

CHAPTER 1 HISTORICAL AND THEORETICAL GUIDELINE Regional integration can not only be seen from a European Perspective with our standards, but can have other perspectives, too. "one of the mysteries any inquiry about integration in Latin America should try to unveil: consistency despite instability, resilience despite crises" (5) 1.1 DEFINITION OF REGIONAL INTEGRATION Summary on various classics... Opts for an integration of regionalism and regional integration. Adopts Hurrells understanding to break up regionalism into five process of increased levels of interaction between political units (subnational, national or transnational), provided by actors sharing common ideas, setting objectives, and defining methods to achieve them, and by so doing contributing to building a region.' (10) 3 corrollaries: a) diversity of actors, levels and agendas b) result of strategy or unintended c) can have institutions This is so open, that it is hard to draw a line: Where does regional integration stop? 1.2 Historical overview 1.3 Selecting Theoretical tools Those that are best suited to explain the historical evolution what is not in here is a) macroscopic lense looking for a number of limited variables b) normative bias with EU as a benchmark. 'each process has its owhn specificities and has to be evaluated according to its own standards' (25) But that is what he does. We need to compare in order to get to general explanations. c) this is not deductive, but seeks to explore theoretical ways of explainin g LA integration or deisintegration. But no contribution to theories. But if it is possible, then he does. (sic!) (25) FS Three questions for the analysis framework - How and why is a regional integration process launched? - How does it evolve? - How to characterize politics and policies? 1.4 Onset of Regional Integration a) Constructivism helps to understand the central terms/words used in LA like Nation, region, identity b) Historical Institutionalism: understand critical junctures that stumpjart the regional integrtion processes c) International environment d) Intentions of regional integration entrepreneurs. Distinguish between means and ends and politics and economics. This book is not in Moravcsik style, but rather looking at critical junctures, environments and intentions. 1.5 Ongoing Process a) range of issues that are discussed: builds on Hoffman: difference between politics that allows for maximization of the ommon good" or strict reciprocity or of the zero sum game.. Whether it falls into a or b depends on momentary saliency (sic!): how essential it appears to be for the goverment for national survival or own survival and specific issues of the issue what about ALL THE LITERTURE ON COOPERATION VS. COORDINATION????????? OR LOWI??? b)Common interest: When does it start? Threshold need "specific historical junctures" but this is the exception of the rule he requires. c) Degree of institutionalization. consist of - ideology or community model: neo institutional model - but no increasing returns/positive feedback like Pierson - rather close to duina: institutions are closely linked to reality within member states even before integration 1.6 Politics and Polices of Integration Deomcracy a) regional integration concept is closely linked to domestic regime b) institutions drafted in 90s were consequently eager to meet the challenge of democratization Three orientations to address dem deficit - standard version: importance of Parliament - more participatory democratic theory - outcome oriented: Who gets in? 2 RESOLVING REGIONAL CRISIS FS: regional integration ("which aims at opening free trade area" (sic: Consider his definition) security? In general, the mixture between trade, democracy interdependence and peace and all together building sense of community a) Security and trade peace (consider EU) b) intentions can be different from outcomes 2.1 theoretical overview Focus on the way theoretical litetature explains launching and relaunchin. - rightly assesses that neof. has no starting conditions(419) - Supranational: he resumes them to be adaptions to political economic reasons from supranational level (44) - His suggestion: the way crisis are handled lead to founding of central america "In any case, as regards Latin America, numerous scholars have failed to pay sufficient attention to history, institutions, and ideas" (44) his theoretical points (44) - hihglighting a critical juncture (cj) that triggers an integration process lets one better understand it - cj must be described as linkage politics - sequencing of events - cj leave hist. legacies. Above all institutions - subsequent crisis resolutions are constrained by path dependency. but they can themselves act as new critical junctures partially erasing the past and engaging regional integration on a new path Then: historical description of events Conclusion: 1980s Crisis solution of sandinista crisis with esquipulas II: - RegInt as a result of collective regional crisis resolution efforts - own will of key actors in the region 1950s: - ODECA: crisis resolution, but externally driven by US depoliticizes the process - But economic integration prevailed (above all: Cepal driven element) Comment: No real explanation: What is the causal link? Is it only more meetings? Check p.57 BUILDING A COLLECTIVE DEFENSE OF Check on neo funct. and what they had to say on reg int. But they focussed on democracy as a condition for regional integration here: reg int democracy (63) a) reg int can entail constrining institutions - treaty is manifestiation of initial critical juncture (65) can lead to lock in of that sq - spill over of democracy as a regional way of action - democracy as a criterio to belong to a certain club b) can shape actors behaviors (sic) - above all socialization effects 3.1 EUROPEAN EXAMPLE 3.2 LATIN AMERICAN EXAMPLES Mercosur some andes, some oas conclusion: has reg int contributed to consolidation of democracy? enforceability of democracy depends on retalioritory measures but only weak democracies were supported. Smaller frictions like in Argentina 01, etc. not. "regional integration processes have helped stabilize a very poor-quality and rather unstable type of democracy. This historical task ought to be recognized, yet it raises the question of the existence of another "engione" that sustains the dynamics of integration" (81) (sic! what is the dv? reg int or democratisation?) Comment: a) on explanation: What are the causal links? he says there is a connection between democracy. but he only gives potential retaliation as an argument. "reputational costs and loss of business confidence"(80) But this is in contrast to his theoretical argument that is basically on socialization effects. 4 INSTITUTIONAL institutional set up Theory: - McCall Smith: different types of legalism - Duina: minimalist intervention with preexisting traditions of common law, interventionist with civil law traditions - Powell and Dimaggio: three mechanisms of change 4.2 CAN and Carribean Pure description 4.3 Mercosur Pure description, then from page 98 onwards based on insights from Ventura: struggle between secretariat and politicians 4.4 Convergence and Domestically inspired mimetism dominance of the president (sic!) and extension of capacity to agenda setting during beginning of 90s due to - modest rights of the regional parliaments - "absence of any redistributive capacity of the regional institutional arrangements" (104) was auch immer das heißen mag... the key actor to project institutions to the regional level was the private sector no proof!! during 90s: "Autonomous agencies were granted important prerogatives in the context of deregulation ... Mercosur's institutions, as we saw, exhibit the same subsudiary function" (105) this is totally in contrast to what he said a page before... 5 Scope and Level of regional integration 5.1 Theory: - Spill around from Schmitter: Governments, regional institutions and interest groups max U. crisis provoked decisional cycles in context of uncertainty lead to spill around But also important: - external conditions: US or EU intervention - symbolic: Prestige on SN level, exoneration of problem solving to SN level, credit claiming/blame shifting strategy 5.2 Central America Reson for spill around: - "Umbrella Race" and according to CEPAL report: - absence of consensus among member states - domestic problem of coordination faced by the member states 5.3 CAN MERCOSUR In short, CAN and Mercosur have been opening uo their agendas to new issue areas as a consequence of its overall ambition and complex institutional arrangement in the former case, and of its dynamics of crisis, relaunching and deepeing in the latter." (127) (SIC!) IV Democratization 6 PARLIAMENTARY OPTION 6.1 EP: How did it become powerful? - EP delegates can elaborate own rules and thus gain knowledge and hence influence (sic) - 2 political moments: - 1979 direct vote - 1997 resign of santer commission where is the causal link???) all a product of a long evolution 6.2 Short report on the LA Forums of Deliberation Decription of PARLATINO, PIA, PARLAMAZ, COPA, FIPA 6.3 LA Parliaments and Regional Integration Processes PARLANDINO, PARLACEN 6.4 MERCOSUR parliament FS: Wants to explain why the parliament was included in the 2001 reforms (but mainly reports its history) 1991 CPC 2003 Enmienda Alonso 2004 July Meeting of Presidents and SAT acting through FESUR CMC 23/05 Constituent Protocol of MERCOSUR Parl: e.g. - Fast Track from Enmienda Alonso - opi