Latin America on way of integration
by Wu Zhihua
A three-day first Latin America and Caribbean summit concluded on
Wednesday, December 17. This is the first time in Latin America' history
for 33 heads of state or of government and delegates from South America,
Central America and the Caribbean to meet and confer on major issue of
regional integration and economic development.
A string of meetings were held one after another in Brazil from
December 15 to 17, namely, the 36th Summit of the Common Market of the
South (Mercosur), the Extraordinary Meeting of Heads of State and
Government of the Union of South American Nations, the Rio Group Summit,
the Latin American Summit and the Summit of Caribbean Heads of
Government.
Get-together
But it was not the first-ever "get-together" of leaders of Latin
American nations, since nine Pan-American meetings had convened in the
region during a six-decade period between 1890 and 1948. Since 1990, 31
Latin American and Caribbean countries had attended four summits of
Latin American heads of state. Nevertheless, any previous regional
meetings of Latin America leaders were at the sponsorship and direction
of the United States, and most of the main topics for discussion at such
meetings often focused on cooperation between Latin America and the U.S.
What is unimaginable, noted Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, is
however the fact that Latin American countries attended regional
conferences with participation of foreign powers outside the region in
the last 200 years after wining their independence.
The just-ended summit of Latin American and Caribbean leaders debated
on Latin America's major issues without participation or supervision of
foreign powers like the United States or European nations. Cuba returned
to the embrace of "the big Latin America family" and participated for
the first time in LA summit conference from which it had previously been
excluded, and became a formal, official member of the Rio Group. So, the
summit can be said to be the Latin Americans' first-ever meeting to
decide regional issues on their own.
Monroe doctrine
US President James Monroe, who introduced his prestigious Doctrine
back in 1823, set forth in December of the year the slogan against the
colonial rule of European colonialism in America, that is, "the American
Continents are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future
colonization by any European power."
The Monroe Doctrine, nevertheless, started the U.S. sphere of
influence that encompassed the entirety of North and South America.
Under the banner of Monroe Doctrine, Latin American countries drew
themselves closer to the U.S. Consequently, the American continent
became the continent of Americans, while Latin America was turned into
their "backyard".
In the 100-plus years that followed, the U.S. orbited Latin America
into its own sphere of influence through political, economical and
military means and via the institution of varied regional cooperative
mechanisms.
As a matter of fact, Latin Americans have never given up their ideals
or aspirations for independence, self-independence and regional
integration. Simon Bolivar, the great leader of the South American War
for Independence in the 1800s, stood for setting up a most extensive,
most eminent and strongest global alliance in South America.This has
been a source of inspiration for the unity and alliance pursued by Latin
Americans.
Integration
Since the early fifties of the 20th century, Latin Americans have
gone in quest of a path of integrated development from initiating the
Latin American integration to setting up the Rio Group and an
international organization of Latin American and the Caribbean States;
they have proceeded from the establishment of the Common Market of the
South (Mercosur) in 1991, the Central American Common Market in 1993,
the Andes common market in 1997, the Caribbean Community and Common
Market (CARICOM) in 2006 to the ensuing execution of the Plan for BFR
Substitution in 2004 and the establishment of the League of United Latin
American Citizens in 2006.
Today, the summit of 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries show
that the relations among Latin American countries have turned
increasingly mature, and their integration is heading for the entire
Latin American region from a scattered, sub-regional integration. This
poses a milestone event of vital historical significance in the economic
and social process of Latin America. Of course, people should also
acknowledge that the regional political, economical and cultural
integration still needs more in-depth exchanges and understanding, as
well as action and cooperation, because Latin American countries
currently have great disparities with their levels of economic and
social development, and the roads for development they have pursued are
not entirely same or identical.
(Courtesy: People's Daily Online)
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