The Origins of Mercosur : Democracy and Regionalization in South America

This book is a study of the processes of democratization and regionalization in the Southern Cone of Latin America, which ran roughly parallel to one another between 1985 and 1991. This book is a study of the processes of democratization and regionalization in the Southern Cone of Latin America, which ran roughly parallel to one another between 1985 and 1991 The processes of democratization and regionalization in South America ran parallel to one another between 1985 and 1991. However, the nature of this relationship is by no means clear. This book explores the diplomatic history of the formation of Mercosur and analyzes the precise place of democracy in the process. At the methodological level, a combination of hitherto unexamined documents and extensive interview material makes for a novel oral history approach to diplomatic studies. At the theoretical level, a melding of cognitive approaches to foreign policy making and realist theory of international relations provides a nuanced but systematic explanation of events. Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction....Pages 1-13 Front Matter....Pages 15-15 Argentine-Brazilian Relations in Historical Perspective: From Ambivalence to Solidarity....Pages 17-39 The Genesis of the Argentine-Brazilian Bilateral Integration (1983–1986)....Pages 41-72 The Genesis of Mercosur (1986–1991)....Pages 73-102 Front Matter....Pages 103-103 Domestic Institutional Setting and Regionalization....Pages 105-127 Government-Business Relations in the Construction of Mercosur....Pages 129-148 Democracy as a Foundational Idea of Integration....Pages 149-173 Conclusion....Pages 175-188 Epilogue....Pages 189-194 Back Matter....Pages 195-267