Union of South American Nations (UNASUR)
The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) is a regional organization established in 2008 aimed at enhancing economic, political, and social integration among South American countries. It emerged as a successor to the South American Community of Nations and consists of twelve member states, including Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela, representing approximately 400 million people and collectively forming one of the world's largest economies. Headquartered in Ecuador, UNASUR is structured around a Council of Heads of State and Government, supported by various councils focusing on specific areas such as culture, economy, and health.
UNASUR's objectives include the creation of a regional trading bloc, the promotion of infrastructure development, and increased political cooperation among its members. It has played a notable role in mediating political crises in the region, intervening in situations perceived as threats to democratic governance. However, the organization has faced challenges, particularly regarding economic collaboration and the potential adoption of a shared currency, as well as concerns about strengthening incumbent governments. Despite these difficulties, UNASUR remains a significant political entity in South America, emphasizing unity and cooperation among diverse nations.
Union of South American Nations (UNASUR)
The Union of South American Nations (USAN in English, or, more commonly, UNASUR, the acronym for its Spanish name of the Unión de Naciones Suramericanas) is a regional organization of South American nations that is intended to promote increased economic, political, and social integration between member states. It was founded in 2008 with the leadership of then-President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez, as the successor to the former South American Community of Nations (SACN, or, in Spanish, CSN, the Comunidad Sudamericana de Naciones), signed in 2004. Twelve nations signed the initial UNASUR, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. It established its secretariat headquarters in Ecuador's Pichincha region in 2010 and an administrative center in Parliament in Cochabamba, Bolivia in 2008.
At the time it was established, UNASUR was one of a growing number of intergovernmental unions worldwide that were created to strengthen regional ties between member nations in the Atlantic-Southern Cone and the Andean-Pacific region. UNASUR was modeled after the European Union (EU). Like the EU, UNASUR expressed an interest in eventually establishing itself as a regional trading bloc that could rely on a single currency and offer visa-free travel between its constituent nations.
Brief History
The roots of a unified South America emerged in the early nineteenth century when many nations earned independence from European control through robust independence movements. This idea was further solidified by the 1823 Monroe Doctrine, in which President James Monroe pledged US help in preventing further incursions into the American sphere of influence by European powers. However, American intervention came to be equated with unwanted interference in regional affairs during the twentieth century. This led to growing resentment of American displays of strength and deterioration between American leadership and the often leftist governments that arose throughout the region.
Before UNASUR, several regional organizations had been established with the hope of creating closer economic, military, and political relationships between various Latin American states. Several regionalist groups were established, including the Andean Community, which was founded in 1969 and has ranged between four and six members; and MERCOSUR, or the Mercado Común del Sur ("Southern Common Market") established in 1991 and has had between four and five members during its history. However, their small membership limited their strength in the global market.
In 1993, former Brazilian President Itamar Franco suggested that the nations of South America create their own version of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). NAFTA created a powerful trade bloc in North America between the United States, Canada, and Mexico that Franco believed could be emulated by South American countries. His plan gained support from his successor, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, who in 2000 helped to create the South American Community of Nations (SACN). This group brought together the member nations of the Andean Community and Mercosur, as well as Chile, Guyana, and Suriname. Despite these links, the Andean Community and Mercosur remain independent intergovernmental organizations.
This predecessor to UNASUR was formally created at the Summit of South American Presidents in 2004 when twelve nations signed the Cuzco Declaration. SACN was centered upon a framework that would promote three objectives: the creation of a trade bloc that would elevate the South American economies into a competitive force on the global market, heightened emphasis on building South American infrastructure, and an increased spirit of political cooperation between the bloc's member nations. In addition, organizers hoped to reduce the comparative influence of the United States in the region.
After changing the name of the organization to the Union of South American Nations in 2007, the member nations signed the UNASUR Constitutive Treaty in 2008. UNASUR gained the necessary approval of three-quarters of member states to gain its status as a legal organization when it was ratified by the Uruguayan Senate in 2010. In 2012, Paraguay was suspended from the group after its democratically elected government was impeached in what UNASUR considered a political coup.
Beginning in 2017, several nations left the organization. Political conflicts and changes in the region led to intergroup conflict, and UNASUR could not reach an agreement to elect a new secretary general. In 2018, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Peru left UNASUR in a push for a decision to be made. At the time, the countries stated they did not intend to abandon the agreement but recognized the need for change. Colombia announced its withdrawal from the organization later in 2018, Ecuador withdrew in 2019, and in 2020, Uruguay withdrew. By the early 2020s, only five members remained.
In 2019, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, and Peru signed a new agreement called the Forum for the Progress and Integration of South America (PROSUR; Foro para el Progreso e Integración de América del Sur). However, Argentina and Brazil rejoined UNASUR in 2023.
Overview
UNASUR consists of a series of councils. The controlling body of UNASUR is the Council of Heads of State and Government, which is composed of the leaders of each of the member nations and which meets on an annual basis. Under this body are two further councils: the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, which meets every six months, and the Council of Delegates, which implements the resolutions adopted by the other councils. The leader of UNASUR is the secretariat, who is elected by the Heads of State and Government Council to serve a two-year term. Serving under these councils are twelve ministerial councils, with each of these in charge of a specific aspect of UNASUR's charter, including culture, economy, education, energy, health, and defense. UNASUR also has a president pro-tempore who heads the organization's meetings and serves as its representative on an international basis. This office passes to the president of each member nation on a rotating alphabetical basis.
UNASUR has played a key role in settling political crises in the region. UNASUR intervened in three regional political crises: the massacre of supporters of Bolivian President Evo Morales in 2008, the attempted coup of Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa in 2010, and the impeachment of Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo in 2012. All three incidents were perceived as threats to democratically elected governments, and UNASUR intervened only with the consent of its elected leadership. UNASUR representatives also helped to monitor elections in Venezuela after the death of Hugo Chávez in 2013.
Some critics have suggested that the measures implemented by UNASUR have helped to strengthen the incumbent governments of participating nations to the detriment of the democratic process. In addition, as the EU has experienced difficulties with sharing a single currency and helping to prop up the economies of struggling member states, some UNASUR nations have shown increased reservations about using a shared currency or investing in a UNASUR development bank. As a result, UNASUR nations have had some difficulties funding projects meant to improve regional infrastructure.
In particular, Brazil's disproportionate share of UNASUR's total economic worth has proven to be potentially problematic. Brazil's economy accounts for 60 percent of UNASUR's total economic output. However, it has been comparatively resistant to increasing its trade with UNASUR neighbors. As a result, UNASUR has proven more effective in mediating internal conflicts and serving as a unified political force than in improving its joint economic power in the world market.
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