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SOCIOLOGICAL VIEW AND THEORY OF SUBORDINATE INTEGRATION...
In recent Latin American history, it can be shown that integration
gains momentum almost always in periods of scarce financial credits which
are necessary to economic development in Latin America, and when the
prices of primary export goods greatly decrease, and also when protectionism
in industrial nations increases. This was what happened in the period
of greatest integrationist enthusiasm, from 1960-73 as already mentioned,
and the later period which began in 1984 to the present. On the contrary,
integration lost impetus and “went out of style” during the period of
economic liberalism and of easy and abundant banking credits and high
prices of basic exportation goods; that is during the notorious period of
1974-1982.
Simultaneously, while the new process of integration is going on
among Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and later Paraguay; for some time a
similar process of integration had been observed among the United States
and Canada—and all too soon with Mexico. 8 This refers to the integration
of a “super region” that is trying also to draw Mexico and the entire Caribbean
Basin into its “free trade market.” In addition, in June 1990, United
States President Bush spoke of a “free trade zone” for all of America.
President Reagan’s Caribbean Basin Plan must be understood for
what it is: a step towards the creation of the “North American Free Trade
Zone.” Other economic “super regions” and integrationist processes are:
Western Europe (CEE) and the Pacific Region. 9 In the case of the European
Economic Community, integration is openly fomented through State
agreements and formal institutions of integration. Yet, integration of the
“North American super region” (United States, Canada, Mexico and the
Caribbean Basin) is generated primarily by big business and other private
large scale economic interest. For many years, in the absence of institutions
and formal agreements, the majority of citizens in these countries
have been unaware of integration. Only at the beginning of 1988 was a
8
a) “Objetan Pacto con Canadá,” El Mundo, San Juan, April 17, 1988, P. 81.
b) Bueno, Gerardo, “El Tratado de Libre Comercio entre Estados Unidos y
Canadá,” Comercio Exterior, Vol. 37, No. 11, Mexico, Nov., 1987, pp. 926-
935.
c) Vega Cánovas, Gustavo, “El Acuerdo de Libre Comercio entre Canadá y Estados
Unidos: Implicaciones para México y los países en desarrollo,” Comercio
Exterior, Vol. 38, No. 3, Mexico, March, 1988, pp. 212-218.
9
a) Vega Cánovas, Gustavo, “El acuerdo de Libre Comercio entre Canadá y Estados
Unidos. Implicaciones para México y los países en desarrollo,” Comercio
Exterior, Vol. 38, No. 3, Mexico, March, 1988, pp. 212-218.
b) Miller, Morris, “El Acuerdo de Libre Comercio entre Canada y Estados
Unidos: Lecciones para América Latina,” Integración Latinoamericana, No.
153, INTAL, Year 15, Buenos Aires, Jan.-Feb., 1990, pp. 24-34.
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