Abstract
The paper analyzes the process of constitution of the regional defense strategy for South America that culminated with the creation of the South American Defense Council (CDS), in 2008. In this paper, we discuss the “extra-regional deterrence” model, present in speeches of authorities from the region. Our hypothesis is that the establishment of strategic commitments to the CDS will inevitably lead to the debate on collective defense instruments, including topics such as integration of military capabilities, which seems impractical for a region marked by geopolitical instability. Based on the concept of security community, we present a brief history of the defense cooperation process in the South American. The emergence of the concept of “regional deterrence” will be analyzed considering the discourse of public authorities from the sphere of the CDS. Finally, we discuss the chance of success of a structure of “regional deterrence” for South America.
Keywords:
South America; Security Community; Extra-regional Deterrence