Latin America in the 21st Century

Nation, Regionalism, Globalization

Gian Luca Gardini

Twenty-first century Latin America is rich in history, culture and political and social experimentation. In this fascinating and insightful analysis, Gardini looks at contemporary developments at three interconnected levels: the state, the region and the international position of Latin America.

At the state level, leaders such as Evo Morales of Bolivia or Chavez of Venezuela embody a renewed intellectual autonomy in the continent, while revealing significant discrepancies between their rhetoric and their actions. At the regional level, while a consensus has emerged over Latin American unity as the only way towards development, the existence of several competing schemes of regional economic and political integration more accurately reflect the actual diversity of the area. At the global level, elements of change–such as the rise of Brazil and the involvement of new trade partners such as China–sit alongside traits of continuity, such as the crucial political, economic and ideational role played by Washington.

Overall, Gardini argues that despite the numerous challenges to be faced, Latin America has never been so well-off, autonomous or well positioned in the world as it is at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

Contents

1. Latin American States between Rhetoric and Pragmatism
- Introduction
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Chile
- Venezuela
- Bolivia
- Overview on other Latin American countries
- Conclusions

2. Latin American Regionalism between Unity and Diversity
- Introduction
- The Origins of Latin American Regionalism and its Evolution
- Latin American Regionalism during the Cold War
- From ‘Open Regionalism’ to the Search for New Paradigms
- MERCOSUR
- NAFTA
- The Andean Community
- The Inter-American System
- Latin American Regionalism in the New Millenium
- Conclusions

3. Latin America and the World between Change and Continuity
- Introduction
- US-Latin American Relations: Historical and Philosophical Bases and their Evolution
- Inter-American Relations in the 21st Century
- The Impact of the Pink Tide: Present and Future
- Relations with the European Union
- Relations with China
- Conclusions

Conclusion

About the Author

Dr Gian Luca Gardini is Lecturer in International Relations and Latin American Politics at the University of Bath. His works have been published in the UK, Europe, the United States and South America. His most recent books are The Origins of Mercosur and, together with Dr PW Lambert, Latin American Foreign Policies between Ideology and Pragmatism. Dr Gardini has also acted as a practitioner of international and EU affairs: he was Representative to the EU of the Italian Confederation of Industry, and International Trade Advisor to EUROCHAMBRES, the European Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry.