Mercosul and South American Responses to Regional Integration

Abstract

The success of the Common Market of the South, or Mercosul, as a strategy to achieve trade, economic, political, cultural, and social integration of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay requires the assimilation of an effectively regional focus by the four member countries. There is no alternative: either Mercosul becomes an essential part of the life and the decision making of the four countries, or it will collapse as the project of deep integration outlined in the Treaty of Asunción of 1991 and ratified by Protocol of Ouro Preto of 1994. This paper will consider the problems faced by Mercosul today and their origins, as well as proposals put forward by governmental institutions and civil society organizations.