Relaciones internacionales.indb - HOMINES

ALINE FRAMBES-BUXEDA
Some aspects examined at this point are: What are the differences between
“Mercosur” (started in 1986 between Brazil and Argentina) and “Merconorte”,
that is, TLCN “Tratado de Libre Comercio Norteamericano) or “NAFTA” (begun
in 1988 by United States and Canada) Also, how has the renewed European integration
process, begun in 1982, forced integration as well all over America What
type of integration, trade or cooperation became a reality for Latin America and
the Caribbean in the last half of the 90s Can “Subordinate Integration” produce
real economic development for Latin America Does each “economic block” have
unique origins and goals, or in fact does integration develop and grow in response
to similar global causes
1. THE LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN
EXPERIENCE, GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS ON
INTEGRATION EFFORTS
In order to begin, it is necessary to point out that Latin American and
Caribbean integration has been greatly supported on many occasions during
the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. It is evident that different social classes,
strata and groups, at different historical periods, have been interested in
integration for different reasons. The objectives, for example, of Bolivar, in
comparison to those of Ernesto Guevara, on integration (unification and
struggle against invasion and imperialism) were certainly specific variants.
José Martí and Eugenio María de Hostos also recognized that Caribbean
colonialism fed regional division; on the other hand, CEPAL (Economic
Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean) foresaw integration in
a more pragmatic or practical form, that is, as a promoter of economic
development. One thing is certainly true, there are volumes and volumes
filled with intellectual ideological discussion about the need for integration
in Latin America and the Caribbean. This continuous debate shows
the legitimacy that this concept has and was acquiring for Latin American
culture. The “ideology of integration” has been a constant element of
debate in the cultural and daily life of Latin America and the Caribbean
over the last 200 years.
The former debate also indicates the obstacles to integration such as:
superpower imperialism or hegemony, Caribbean colonialism, pan-Americanism,
lack of economic and military development, as well as the divergent
interests of each class in integration, and an idealistic “pan-hispanic”
rhetoric.
The theory of integration basically was formulated taking into consideration,
above all, the economic integration of industrialized capitalist
nations; the European model was the example used as a reference point.
Within neo-liberal theory of integration there are two basic currents: one
that emphasizes benefits of an increase in trade among the States of the region,
and another that prizes joint industrial planning. Marxist theoretical
• HOMINES • Vol. XX, Núm. x - xxxxx de 2005 83