NUESTRO NORTE ES EL SUR: THE QUEST FOR AUTONOMY, THE CHALLENGES OF REGIONAL INTEGRATION, AND CHINA

Despite the current period of conservatism rise and the political, social, cultural, economic, and health crisis that devastates the American continent, the el Mercado Común del Sur (Mercosur) has completed 30 years, consolidating itself as a regional bloc. However, disarticulated and at risk of losing its achievements, the Mercosur has not yet defined the paths for the recovery or re-creation of a broad agenda, such as occurred in the beginning of the 21st century. This article emphasizes the singular trajectory of South American integration from its original character as a peripheral region of capitalism, suggesting that the connection between autonomy, intergovernability, and democracy is a theoretical condition for its understanding. Based on the integrationist experience of the South in the 2005-2015 progressive agenda, we will discuss the effects of the rise of Chinese rapprochement on the continent in open dispute with the United States.

Keywords:
Global South; South America; Regional Integration; Autonomy; Development; Democracy; China