Latin America’s Integration Muddle

HIGHLIGHTS

read the article paying attention to the words in bold
summarize the main ideas
comment on the ideas expressed by the author
compose 3 questions for discussion

FOCUS WORDS

proponent	сторонник, защитник
resemble	походить на, иметь сходство, быть похожим
initiative	инициатива
consequent	последовательный; следующий за; являющийся результатом
streamlined	налаженный, четкий; рациональный
stall	останавливать, стопорить
permeate	проникать, распространяться, пропитывать
quell	подавлять, уничтожать, ослаблять, смягчать, успокаивать
exacerbate	обострять, усиливать
stasis	застой

PREPOSITIONS

regarded as
at first glance
owing to
engage in
with respect to
contribute to
be intent on
correspond to
compatible with
an increase in

Latin America’s Integration Muddle

Jun 9, 2010 Augusto Varas

Augusto Varas is President of the EQUITAS Foundation (Chile).

SANTIAGO – Regional integration is usually regarded as a way for countries to strengthen themselves. But today’s efforts at regional integration in Latin America seem to have a different purpose altogether. They are put forward to help the proponents of various plans jockey for power and influence on both the regional and global stage.

Indeed, none of the current initiatives to boost Latin American regional integration resemble at all the European integration process. Nor can they be considered the first tentative steps towards such a shared destiny, in the manner of the 1952 European Coal and Steel Community Treaty, which began the project for European unity. At first glance, the almost constant bombardment of integration proposals in Latin America makes it appear as if the region’s presidents are trying to outdo each other in seeing who can come up with the greatest number of proposals. All the while, scant attention is paid to the region’s already established bodies, which are in sad shape. Consider MERCOSUR, the main post-Cold War regional initiative. According to the Argentine scholar Roberto Bouzas, MERCOSUR is in a critical state of affairs, owing to the inability of its institutions to maintain “the common objectives which drove its member states to engage in the process of regional integration and the consequent loss of focus and capacity to prioritize underlying political problems. Similar diagnoses are made with respect to the Latin American Economic System (SELA), the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), and other regional organizations. Contributing to this loss of dynamism is the flood of proposals rushing out of Venezuela, including the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA, with its own standing army), the Trade Treaty of the Peoples (TCP), the Bank of the South, and the South Atlantic Treaty Organization (OTAS). Some of the Venezuelan initiatives are going nowhere, but others, such Petrocaribe, Petrosur, and TeleSUR, are taking off. Meanwhile, Brazil is intent on assuming a regional and global political role that corresponds to its growing economic weight. The challenge is to find a regional role that is compatible with the country’s size, but that does not create mistrust and, at the same time, benefits the rest of the region.

The proposed Union of South American Nations (Unasur), like the South American Defense Council, is part of a Brazilian regional strategy to encourage cooperation within Latin America in order to counterbalance the power of the United States and act as a mediator in regional disagreements. While the Unasur proposal may have been formulated in a more rigorous way than other initiatives, its failure to contemplate trade integration means that there is nothing to tie member states together beyond political will. Discussions about international free trade, however, have generally been held outside the region, in Doha or in the G-20, with Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico representing Latin America. Although Unasur aims to progress beyond free-trade agreements, this requires a more streamlined integration within the organization – one that expands its current role as a forum for discussing problems and seeking solutions for Latin America as a whole. Unasur, however, has highlighted the cooling of relations between Brazil and Mexico, which is not a member of the new organization. This may well have an impact on future regional political coordination, although Mexico’s future membership has not been ruled out. (Furthermore, Mexican President Felipe Calderón’s participation in the Latin American and Caribbean Summit on Integration and Development in Bahia in December 2008 suggests that Mexico has not turned its back on the possibility of coordinating regional positions). The South American Defense Council, however, has stalled. To increase its effectiveness, the mistrust that permeates Unasur must be quelled, and the goals of member states must be more clearly defined. This is especially true of Brazil, the source of much of this mistrust. Finally, Ecuador’s president, Rafael Correa, some time ago proposed an Organization of Latin American States to replace the Organization of American States (OAS). Although the inclusion of all Latin American states goes some way towards repairing the weakened Brazilian-Mexican axis, and creates a new and more positive environment for future political coordination, this new organization is unlikely to contribute much to actual regional integration.The lack of regional common policies is particularly noticeable in the areas of regional defense and internal security, where it has been impossible to identify a common position on inter-state tensions, the fight against organized crime, and drug trafficking. These difficulties are exacerbated by the OAS’s inability to address complex situations such as the coup d’état in Honduras, the conflict between Ecuador and Colombia, or broader regional problems. This regional stasis may worsen as a result of growing nationalism; an increase in social divisions within states; weapons proliferation and an increase in military spending; and environmental degradation. It seems that Latin America has abandoned the principles, commitments, and foundations of full regional integration. Indeed, national interests and nationalistic egos have now moved to center stage.

DISCUSSION AND APPLICATION QUESTIONS

What are some of the current initiatives for regional integration in Latin America?
How does the state of MERCOSUR reflect the challenges facing regional integration in the region?
What steps can be taken to improve the effectiveness of regional integration efforts in Latin America?

LANGUAGE REVIEW

FLASHCARDS

SYNONYMS

MATCH THE WORD WITH ITS DEFINITION

proponent	to be diffused through; pervade, saturate
resemble	a first act or step in a process
initiative	to put down; extinguish; subdue; crush
consequent	a person who argues in favour of something; an advocate
streamlined	inactivity resulting from a static balance between opposing forces; a state of no action or progress
stall	designed or organized for maximum efficiency
permeate	make worse, aggravate, exasperate or irritate
quell	to be like or similar to
exacerbate	to be delayed, impeded, or interrupted
stasis	following as an effect; resulting

MATCH THE WORD WITH ITS SYNONYMS

proponent	following, resulting, accompanying, attendant
resemble	pervade, infuse, penetrate
initiative	defender, advocate
consequent	delay, impede, obstruct, hamper, hinder, slow
streamlined	intensify, escalate, amplify, complicate
stall	reduce, suppress, subdue
permeate	be similar to, be comparable to
quell	modernized, up-to-date
exacerbate	plan, proposal, scheme, strategy, suggestion
stasis	a static situation; a stagnation

MATCH THE WORD WITH ITS COLLOCATIONS

proponent	the workforce, operations, processes
resemble	damage/ casualties/ lack / instability
initiative	culture, nearly every aspect, social media, the political discourse
consequent	other conditions, problems/ created, produced] to/ accurately, exactly
streamlined	bureaucratic, emotional, business in, a period/ state of
stall	talks, progress, proceedings, negotiations
permeate	of globalization, of e-fuels, of the ecosystem
quell	racial inequality, socioeconomic disparities, economic difficulties
exacerbate	launch / to improve/ governmental, private
stasis	inflation, resistance, unrest, protests, confusion, criticism, skepticism

COMPLETE THE SENTENCES BY FILLING IN FOCUS WORDS

stasis
consequent
quell
resemble
stalled
exacerbated
initiative
permeate
streamlined
proponents

1.While analysts said a new deal with Europe could in practice satisfy the requirements of the law, it would not really …………. a free-trade agreement.
2. With Britain’s withdrawal from the EU, the government is scrapping the subsidy system which has kept British farming in …………. for years – and on which the livelihoods of many thousands depend.
3. Democrats, major Wall Street firms and other ESG …………. counter that the financial strategy is centered on measuring investment risk outside normal monetary factors.
4. Tensions over issues such as the treatment of Uyghurs still …………. the relationship: European lawmakers and activists protested a planned trip by the governor of Xinjiang to Europe, forcing China to call it off.
5. A number of emerging economies reacted to the global crisis and the …………. slowdown in exports by switching from export-led growth to domestically led growth.
6. In the meantime, contractors and developers have turned to more integrated “design-build” work processes to become more …………..
7. As part of the …………., the department will issue a hazard alert notifying employers and employees about ways to stay protected from extreme heat.
8. Bosnia is seeking EU entry but the Bosnian Serb separatist drive and inner political bickering have …………. the effort.
9. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used a televised address to try to …………. the unrest.
10. The rollbacks, pushed primarily by Republican-dominated legislatures, come amid an influx of migrant workers to the United States that has been …………. by economic plight in their home countries.

MATCH THE COLLOCATIONS FROM THE TEXT

1. initiatives	a) underlying political problems
2. positive environment	b) on inter-state tensions
3. to maintain	c) complex situations
4. counterbalance	d) the common objectives
5. progress beyond	e) to boost regional integration
6. capacity to prioritize	f) in regional disagreements
7. to address	g) the power
8. assume	h) free-trade agreements
9. identify a common position	i) for future political coordination
10. act as a mediator	j) a regional and global political role

COMPOSE MEANINGFUL SENTENCES BASED ON FOCUS WORDS AND COLLOCATIONS FROM THE TEXT

E.g. _____________ proponents insist _____________

→ Despite the concerns, proponents insist it’s a medical avenue that must be explored.

_________ became a proponent of _________
_________ the proposed deal more closely resembled _________
_________ initiatives to reach that target _________
_________ consequent damage _________
_________ streamlined several processes _________
_________ is currently stalled _________
_________ permeate practices and policies _________
_________ to quell the protests _________
_________ are exacerbating the situation _________
_________ after decades of relative stasis _________

PREPOSITIONS

regarded ___
___ first glance
owing ___
engage ___
with respect ___
contribute ___
be intent ___
correspond ___
compatible ___
an increase ___

GRAMMAR MIX

Asian migrants ………… certain niches in the labor market, such as retail, construction and household services, and as visible minorities, they often ………… xenophobic attitudes.

have occupied; encounter
occupy; encounter
occupy; encountered
are occupying; encountered

2. The House vote ………… more than a year after the three countries’ leaders signed the USMCA in Buenos Aires in November 2018 – a longer wait than many …………, but shorter than others ………… after the Republicans lost their House majority in last year’s midterm elections.

had come; anticipated; expected
came; would anticipate; had expected
has come; have anticipated; have expected
came; had anticipated; had expected

3. In light of the intensifying military-technology race with Beijing and the eroding military balance of power in the region, AUKUS ………… to identify and jump-start trilateral efforts focused on quickly fielding cutting-edge military capabilities.

will look
would look
will have looked
will be looking

4. As China’s labor costs rise, production ………… from the coastal regions to the western provinces.

is being relocated
is relocated
will be relocated
will relocate

5. Promises of eventual membership and the long negotiations that precede it will harm the Union if they ………… frustration among candidate countries’ governments and citizens.

generate
will generate
would generate
generated

6. As threats to global stability increase, the EU ………… continue to pursue its strategic interests, as well as attend to the European ambitions and prospects of all the countries in its immediate neighbourhood.

should
must
has to
may

7. ………… the end of the Cold War, globalization brought about a drastic reduction in extreme poverty, not least by enabling East Asian countries, including China, to achieve rapid growth and development.

having followed
following
being followed
followed

8. ………… the crisis affects them, ………… they think largely in national terms.

the more; the most
the more; the more
more; more
more; the most

9. These initiatives, all of ………… aim to boost security and stability across the Indo-Pacific, reflect the region’s ongoing transformation into a “geography of strategies.”