A History of the FTAA : From Hegemony to Fragmentation in the Americas

Providing a critical account of the collapse of the FTAA negotiations and alterations to power relations in the Americas, this book argues that the collapse was rooted in a "crisis of authority" prompted by growing opposition in the Americas to US leadership and the neo-liberal reforms that had been promoted by Washington since the 1980s. The book explores how the collapse of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) negotiations in 2005 was rooted in a "crisis of authority" with respect to the leadership of the United States in the Americas. This "crisis of authority" was prompted by growing opposition in the Americas to the neo-liberal reforms that had been promoted by Washington since the 1980s. Marcel Nelson demonstrates how the FTAA became the focal point of this opposition from a growing chorus of leftist heads of state in Latin America to the detriment of the negotiations. A neo-Gramscian theoretical framework will be used to frame the manner in which the "crisis of authority" came to the fore in the states of the Americas and in the institutional structure established to negotiate the FTAA "A History of the FTAA: From Hegemony to Fragmentation in the Americas" -- "Contents" -- "Acknowledgments" -- "Abbreviations" -- "PART I: Theoretical Framework" -- "Introduction" -- "Literature Review" -- "The Arguments" -- "Chapter Outline" -- "Chapter 1: Gramsci, Hegemony, and Global Governance" -- "The Limits of the Neo-Gramscian Approach to Hegemony" -- "A Reexamination of Gramsci" -- "Conclusion" -- "PART II: The Evolution of the FTAA Negotiations" -- "Chapter 2: The FTAA Negotiations: Context and History" -- "The Crisis of Authority in the Americas" -- "Setting the Stage for the FTAA: From Import Substitution Industrialization to Free-Market Orthodoxy in Latin America" -- "The FTAA Negotiations:The Preparatory Stage" -- "Conclusion" -- "PART III: Case Studies" -- "Chapter 3: Venezuela and the Evolution of the FTAA" -- "â#x80;#x9C;Venezuelan Exceptionalismâ#x80;#x9D;:A Historical Analysis" -- "The First Phase of Venezuelaâ#x80;#x99;s Negotiation of the FTAA" -- "Ideology and Foreign Policy in the Early Years of the Fifth Republic" -- "Chavez and the FTAA" -- "The Venezuelan Challenge to the FTAA" -- "Conclusion" -- "Chapter 4: Brazil and the FTAA Negotiations" -- "Brazil as a â#x80;#x9C;Subimperialâ#x80;#x9D; Power" -- "Brazilâ#x80;#x99;s Role during the Preparatory Phase of the FTAA Negotiations" -- "Cardoso and the Launch of the FTAA Negotiations" -- "Brazil and the FTAA in the Wake of the Exchange Crisis" -- "Continuity and Change in Brazilâ#x80;#x99;s Foreign Policy" -- "Conclusion" -- "PART IV: Regionalism after the FTAA" -- "Chapter 5: Regionalism in the Americas after the FTAA" -- "Contextualizing Contemporary Regionalism in Latin America" -- "The United States and Latin America" -- "Latin American Regionalism in the Wake of the FTAA" -- "Conclusion" -- "Conclusion" -- "Future Research Agenda" -- "Notes" -- "Bibliography" "The book explores how the collapse of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) negotiations in 2005 was rooted in a "crisis of authority" with respect to the leadership of the United States in the Americas. This "crisis of authority" was prompted by growing opposition in the Americas to the neo-liberal reforms that had been promoted by Washington since the 1980s. Marcel Nelson demonstrates how the FTAA became the focal point of this opposition from a growing chorus of leftist heads of state in Latin America to the detriment of the negotiations. A neo-Gramscian theoretical framework will be used to frame the manner in which the "crisis of authority" came to the fore in the states of the Americas and in the institutional structure established to negotiate the FTAA."-- Provided by publisher Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Introduction....Pages 3-25 Gramsci, Hegemony, and Global Governance....Pages 27-59 Front Matter....Pages 61-61 The FTAA Negotiations....Pages 63-112 Front Matter....Pages 113-113 Venezuela and the Evolution of the FTAA....Pages 115-146 Brazil and the FTAA Negotiations....Pages 147-180 Front Matter....Pages 181-181 Regionalism in the Americas after the FTAA....Pages 183-200 Conclusion....Pages 201-208 Back Matter....Pages 209-273