Relaciones internacionales.indb - HOMINES

SOCIOLOGICAL VIEW AND THEORY OF SUBORDINATE INTEGRATION...
is an unification effort among countries with different economic structures; that
is, integration between developed and underdeveloped economies. This apparently
new approach to integration must be analyzed in detail. The only forerunner
to this experience may be the integration experience between Puerto Rico
and the United States. In fact at the same time of U.S. Congress approval of
NAFTA, four days before, on Nov. 14, 1993, with a plebiscite, Puerto Rico
began to halt or a least not to increase this integration process. 2 Once again, this
integration process was halted by Puerto Rico when, during the Plebiscite of
December 13, 1998 a 54% vote was cast against “statehood” and annexation to
the United States.
Latin America and the Caribbean are facing new transformations in the “Global
Economy.” At least two different tendencies seem to be occurring, on the one
hand new trade liberalization within “economic blocks” (or bilateral agreements),
but also a growing protectionism towards countries that are not members of these
“regional integration blocks.” Many Latin American countries and the Caribbean
seem to be “left out” of these new integration efforts, and forced to plan their own
development alternatives.
In order to address the world panorama at that time we have considered different
aspects of development in the Caribbean and Latin America, above all over
30 years of integration efforts in our region. Theoretical aspects of integration have
been addressed in order to comprehend the relationship between the Theory of Integration
and the practical results achieved through integration between 1950-2000,
not only in all countries of America but, accordingly, in Europe.
An important section has been dedicated to the establishment and growth of
the “North American Free Trade Agreement” (NAFTA) and it’s impact on Mexico
and Hispanic Caribbean countries such as: Venezuela, Colombia, Panamá, Cuba
and Puerto Rico. Some reference is made to social implications of NAFTA within
Canada and the United States.
Finally, we have elaborated upon a “Theory of Subordinate and Dependent
Integration,” which, in our opinion, is the particular type of integration which is
taking place in the Americas, and whether such a process can be considered real
integration in the classical economic sense. Understandably, social responses to
NAFTA (TLCN) and thus public policy implications, are forcing the necessity of
elaborating a “Sociology of Subordinate Integration.”
2
a. El País. “Puerto Rico vota en contra de su integración en Estados Unidos.”
Madrid. November 22, 1993, p. 1, 2 y 3.
b. James Cohen, “Ou en est le modele portoricain,” Annales Des Pays
D’Amerique Central et
Des Caribes, No. 10, Aix en Province, Francia, 1990, pp. 75-95.
c. Dr. Antonio Fernós Isern, “La Comunidad Económica Europea” in: Filosofía
y Doctrina del Estadolibrismo (To be published in 1995).
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Vol. XX, Núm. x - xxxxx de 2005 • HOMINES •