Integração regional da América do Sul: o declínio da UNASUL como projeto de desenvolvimento da região.

Abstract

Since the 1990s, with the consolidation of capitalism as the social hegemonic order and neoliberalism as the dominant ideology, classic regionalism theories on Latin America have been revisited and reformulated. During this period, ECLAC adopted the concept of "open regionalism" aligning with the policies exercised by the vast majority of its member countries. However, with the rise of progressive governments from 1998 in Venezuela and especially in the early 21st century, there was a critical review in South America. Guided by movements for regional autonomy and progressive governments, regionalism advanced to become a neo-developmentalist agenda, forming coalitions of ideologically similar countries, finding its maximum expression in UNASUR. This paper seeks to explore this regionalism, mainly focusing on the circumstances of the creation, peak, and collapse of UNASUR. For this analysis, a descriptive approach is undertaken, contextualizing the organization's structure and South American progressive movements, using specialized works, official documents, and reports on regional integration and UNASUR.