UNASUR

Nov 24, 2010 Editorial

This Friday, Guyana will be hosting a summit meeting of the heads of government of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Brazil’s outgoing President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva and six other heads of state are expected to attend. While Guyana has been a member of the grouping since its inauguration in May 2008 and President Jagdeo will be assuming its rotating Presidency at the summit (for a year), most Guyanese are a bit in the dark as to what UNASUR is all about.
In a nutshell, UNASUR is a grouping of the 12 independent countries of South America (French Guiana is still a part of France) that have committed themselves to creating a union patterned on the lines of the European Union. It is supposed to amalgamate the two existing customs unions, Mercosur and the Andean Community of Nations, as part of a continuing process of South American integration. According to the Constitutive Treaty, the Union’s headquarters will be located in Quito, Ecuador, the South American Parliament will be located in Cochabamba, Bolivia, while the headquarters of its bank, the Bank of the South will be in Caracas, Venezuela.
UNASUR is the brainchild of Brazil’s Lula da Silva who outlined his vision at the First Summit of South American leaders which he hosted in Brasilia in August 2000. In a globalised world of emerging economic and political blocks it would not have escaped his notice that a unified South American body would augment his own country’s leverage on the world stage.
South America has a population of 400 million people and its combined GDP reaches approximately US 2.3 trillion dollars. The development of UNASUR obviously raises questions of its relationship with the Organisation of American States (OAS) that includes all its members. From the onset, the OAS has been dominated by the US which has used the body to secure its strategic interests in the region. On his return from the 3rd Heads of Government Conference of UNASUR in Quito, Ecuador last year, President Jagdeo opined that UNASUR would ensure that, “we don’t have to take policy direction from the north or the developed countries of the world which always felt that they have a monopoly over where countries and what should go and what decisions they should make…”
At that meeting, as at the others, there were a host of policy commitments on strengthening the integration movement – pushing for the creation of a bank of the south, a fund of common reserves, prioritization of public health over economic and commercial interests, creation of the council of human rights, and councils on the fight against drug trafficking, infrastructure and planning.
But the concrete successes of the grouping up to now have been in the foreign policy arena – serving, as President Jagdeo telegraphed, as an alternative to US leadership in the region. Soon after UNASUR’s formation, the Evo Morales government in Bolivia faced a violent destabilization effort in September 2008. President Michele Bachelet of Chile, the pro-tempore president of UNASUR, convened an emergency meeting of South American heads of state in Santiago that quickly issued a unanimous statement strongly condemning the attacks against Bolivian democracy and announcing the creation of a commission of “support and assistance” to the Bolivian government. Soon afterwards, Bolivia’s opposition groups abandoned their violent tactics and agreed to enter negotiations with the Morales government.
In August of 2009, a special UNASUR summit was held in Argentina to discuss a highly controversial agreement that expanded the US’ military presence in Colombia. The body also strongly opposed the coup in Honduras and as a group, refused to accept the elections held there last year, which was supported by the US. This action exposed rifts in UNASUR, however, with two members –Peru and Colombia – backing the US. Another potential fissure might be ALBA – the grouping promoted with some UNASUR members – by Venezuela’s Chavez, who inevitably will be jousting with Brazil for regional influence.
In the meantime President Lula might explain why his country has not ratified UNASUR’s founding charter which would have given the body legal status.

Latest News

UNASUR

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| February, 7th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Allicock, Amsterdam named in GBA training squad 2025 Caribbean Boxing...

Interesting transfers, Clubs secure firepower...

North East beat Back Circle B; set up semi...

DCC executive laud Savory, Imlach for champion...

Dozens of young chess players participate in...

Shai Hope claims Green Belt and Dispatch of the...

Features/Columnists

Forward to the past

OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus

Process, procedure, political people and public servants

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

UNASUR

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| February, 7th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]