What is Argentina’s current foreign policy? To understand Argentina’s current foreign policy it is necessary to understand the economic crisis of 2001 and its effect on what we are calling the ‘current’ policies of former President Nestor Kirchner and his wife, the current President, Cristina Fernandez. As we mentioned in the last section, the government… Read More Argentina’s Foreign Policy: 2008
What are the relevant historic issues in Argentina’s foreign policy? The historic conditions of Argentina’s foreign policy can be divided into three groups; strategic, economic, and political. Strategically, Argentina has been preoccupied with containing Brazil and Chiles’ influence in the southern cone, Perú in the Northwest, settling border conflicts with Chile, and regaining sovereignty of… Read More Argentina’s Foreign Policy: Traditions
Who are the relevant actors in the creation of national foreign policy and what structures do they operate within? The executive branch controls foreign policy in Argentina. It is composed of six secretaries, 10 ministers, a ministerial chief, and one military liaison; all appointed by the President.[1] While citizens have the right to propose legislation… Read More Argentina’s Foreign Policy: Actors and Institutions
Our next several sections will focus on the national foreign policy goals of six South American nations; Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Our criteria for selecting these countries are as follows, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile were chosen because of their historical importance in regional balance of power politics. Venezuela was chosen because of… Read More South American Foreign Policy: Six Case Studies
The terms “Open” and “closed” regionalism refer to the degree in which regional blocks allow nonmember nations to access their markets. In this sense, an “open region” is one with few, if any, external trade restrictions while a “closed region” can be defined as one whose external trade policies seek to restrict commerce with nations… Read More “Open” and “Closed” Regionalism Theories
Regionalism studies are those studies that focus on the middle layer of governance, between the state and the global, that emerge out of concerted processes of regional integration like the EU, the Arab League, NAFTA, CARICOM, and ASEAN. The first two theoretical explanations of this process in South America that we will discuss are New… Read More ‘New’ and ‘Old’ Regionalism Theories
The post Cold War emphasis on trade in global politics has elevated states on the basis of their market potential. This stands in contrast to the historic emphasis placed on ideological or security factors imposed by the bipolar international system in place from the Second World War until the collapse of the Soviet Union… Read More Regionalism and Globalization Theory
Citation Becker, Marc. Indians and Leftists in the Making of Ecuador’s Modern Indigenous Movements. Durham: Duke University Press, 2008.
(Mar. 31, 2008) The last explanation we will analyze here is what we are referring to as the “Brazilian hegemonic” explanation. This position holds that Brazil, given the much larger size of its population, economy, and territory relative to the rest of the region, is the natural hegemon in South American regional affairs.[1] This position… Read More Historiography: Brazilian Hegemony in South America
(Mar. 30, 2008) Other explanations for why the region has decided to pursue a strategy of South American unification focus on the cultural similarities between these nations. This interpretation emphasizes the post colonial Pan-American unification movement, begun by the early Liberators like Bolívar, Sucre, San Martin, or O’Higgins who said, “la patria de los americanos… Read More Historiography: Historical-Cultural Explanations
(Mar. 29, 2008) There are several ways of approaching the question of South American integration; depending on which facet of society you choose to analyze you get a different answer. The most popular explanations are economic, historical/cultural, and Brazilian. The emphasis on economic explanations is succinctly explained by Vanden and Prevost who note, “In Latin… Read More Historiography: Economic Explanations of South American Integration
(Mar. 28, 2008) The final factor we will look at in this section is the degree to which South American nations interact with each other. The formal political institutions that link the entire region are the United Nations and the Organization of American States. If Guyana and Surinam are removed the list increases to include… Read More Regularity of Interaction Among South American Nations
(Mar. 26, 2008)The decision to analyze the countries of South America as a regional subsystem of Latin America is based on the membership criteria of UNASUR itself. While it may be debatable that all of the territory southeast of Panama actually forms a single analytical subsystem, given that the region has opted for a union… Read More Definitions and Limitations I: Initial Assumptions on UNASUR
Geographically, South America refers to the territory located roughly between 12.5 degrees north and 56 degrees south latitude, and 34.5 east and 81.5 degrees west longitude, corresponding to the nations located southeast of Panama: Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. Physically it is bordered by the Caribbean Sea… Read More Definitions and Limitations II: Physical Borders
The broad geographic zones outlined in the last entry also correspond to the general separation of historic interests in South America. According to Atkins, the economic and political interests of the Caribbean states of Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, and Suriname have been predominantly influenced by the hegemonic influence of the United States and their respective European… Read More Definitions and Limitations III: Regional and Extra-Regional Powers
The interplay of different cultures in South America is another important factor in analyzing regional politics. The interaction between European immigrants, Africans, and later on immigrants from all over the world with the indigenous communities already living there has created a unique social atmosphere of syncretism and conflict. A crude division can be made along… Read More Definitions and Limitations IV: Perceptions of Shared Identity in South America
(Mar. 26, 2008) In South American integration literature there is a puzzling divide between primary government sources and secondary analysis. On the one hand you have a series of regional declarations signed by the 12 presidents of South American nations stating their intent to form a new continental block. On the other hand you have… Read More Problematizing Regional Integration in South America: UNASUR in the 21st Century
(Mar. 24, 2008) The Colombian government announced Monday that the second man killed and removed during its attack on a FARC base camp in Ecuador territory was in fact Ecuadorian. The announcement seemed likely to trigger further diplomatic protests by Ecuador’s government after President Rafael Correa threatened to reopen the case last Saturday if he… Read More Ecuador Threatens More Diplomatic Problems with Colombia
Mar. 21, 2008) The March 28th meeting of South American heads of state has been cancelled because of ongoing disputes between Ecuador and Colombia. Leaders had planned to sign a foundational constitution establishing the institutional procedures for UNASUR, a new union composed of the 12 nations of South America. The cancellation was not a surprise… Read More Unasur Founding Summit Cancelled Over Minor Regional Conflict
By Nate GillMarch 21, 2008 (Southern Affairs) — The March 28th meeting of South American heads of state has been cancelled because of ongoing disputes between Ecuador and Colombia. Leaders had planned to sign a foundational constitution establishing the institutional procedures for UNASUR, a new union composed of the 12 nations of South America. The… Read More Unasur Founding Summit Cancelled Over Regional Conflict
(March 12, 2008) There’s an oft quoted phrase that you can’t win for losing, but how can you lose by winning? Ask Venezuela where the revolution of the little guy is in its ninth year. President Hugo Chavez is the undisputed leader of a social movement that was to have refocused his country’s priorities and… Read More Revolution In The Air – No Respite For The Poor
(March 10, 2008) The crisis that erupted last week over Colombia’s bombing of a FARC base camp inside Ecuador seems to have come to an end. A political solution was reached between the region’s foreign ministers at the OAS special session while a more personal agreement was reached between the presidents of several Latin American… Read More Counting the Chips: Political Solution Reached Between Ecuador and Colombia
(March 5, 2008) On Sunday Colombia’s military bombed a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) military camp in Ecuadorian territory. The attack killed an estimated 23 rebel combatants, including FARC’s second in command, Luis Edgar Devia, a.k.a. Raúl Reyes, reportedly the first secretariat member to be killed in combat during more than 40 years of… Read More Colombian Attack Sets Off Unexpected Alarms Around South America
Bray, Tamara L. “Late Pre-Hispanic Chiefdoms of Highland Ecuador.” In The Handbook of South American Archaeology, 527–44. New York: Springer, 2008. Tamara Bray contributed this chapter to The Handbook of South American Archaeology, edited by Helaine Silverman and William Isbell, surveying the three major socio-political regions of the early Ecuadorian Andes: the Caranqui, Puruha, and… Read More Late Pre-Hispanic Chiefdoms of Highland Ecuador: Bray
Peter Henderson’s Gabriel García Moreno and Conservative State Formation in the Andes, analyzes nineteenth-century debates over modernization and state formation during the administration of Ecuadorian President Gabriel Garcia Moreno, one of the country’s most controversial politicians. Henderson focuses on five major themes: the creation of political networks, regionalism, the liberal-conservative ideological divide, caudillismo, and perennial… Read More Gabriel García Moreno and Conservative State Formation in the Andes: Henderson
I’ve spent the last two months traveling in Ecuador and Peru conducting interviews for my graduate thesis. I will be publishing these interviews in the following order: Francisco Carrión, Foreign Minister of Ecuador (2003-2006); Benjamin Ortiz, Foreign Minister of Ecuador (1998-2000); Osvaldo Hurtado, President of Ecuador (1981-1984); Rodrigo Borja, President of Ecuador (1988-1992); Carlos Espinosa,… Read More Interviews
(Dec. 12, 2007) The signing of the “founding act” of the new Banco del Sur raises so many questions that it is difficult to know where to begin. Set against the backdrop of the assumption of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the meeting highlighted the continued difficulties South America faces as it… Read More Banco Del Sur – A Reality Check On The State Of South American Relations
(Dec. 6, 2007) Violent protests continue to rock Bolivia as politicians refuse to compromise on a new national constitution. President Evo Morales has proposed a national recall vote for himself and the country’s nine prefects to help end protests that began after his political party Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) railroaded a new draft constitution through… Read More President Proposes National Recall Vote As Bolivia Slides Further Into Chaos
(Nov. 30, 2007) Without delay, Ecuador’s new Constitutional Assembly approved President Rafael Correa’s proposal to close the national congress until the assembly concludes its broad reorganization of the state in what officials are calling a “Citizen Revolution.” Ecuador is the third South American country to call a Constitutional Assembly this century, joining Venezuela and Bolivia… Read More 21st Century Socialists Turn Tables On Opposition
(Nov. 28, 2007) For anyone interested in the state of South America’s regional relations, this week was full of news. Argentina and Uruguay appear to have given up on political dialogue and have closed their borders until The Hague gives them a reply sometime in the next 2 years, Venezuela froze ties with Colombia and… Read More Is South America Sliding Into Chaos Or Is It Just Business As Usual?
(Nov. 26, 2007) Last Friday Bolivian President Evo Morales and his MAS party in the National Assembly approved constitutional changes by a simple majority vote in an irregular session without the presence of opposition parties. According to the former Vice President Victor Hugo Cádenas the meeting took place in a military barracks in Sucre where… Read More Bolivian Assembly Approves Constitution In Irregular Session
(Nov. 25, 2007) Riot police shot a group of students from the Universidad Monteávila on Friday for handing out pamphlets protesting the upcoming constitutional referendum in Venezuela. El Observador Online reported that eight students were wounded in the attack. Police firing small pellets and tear gas forced students to seek protection inside their university. The… Read More Venezuelan Police Shoot Students Protesting Chávez’s Constitutional Reforms
(Nov. 24, 2007) Argentina’s President Elect Cristina Kirchner distanced herself from the political agenda of Venezuela President Chávez on Monday by proposing a Mercosur-Israel free trade agreement (FTA) during her visit to Brazil. The proposal is a diplomatic counter punch to Venezuela’s open support for Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the OPEC meeting in Saudi… Read More Argentina Breaks With Venezuela Over Free Trade And Middle East
