A new publication aims to better understand the scope and limitations of the Pacific Alliance (PA). Produced in partnership with the Xavierian University and Santiago University, Cali, The Pacific Alliance: an Outlook on Regional Projects and Global Transformations (link in Spanish) analyzes the potential outlook for the regional bloc that includes Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru.
First, the author describes the PA, its scope, the challenges it poses for the countries that are part of it, the need for complementarity with other cooperation schemes, and the potential for integration with global powers.
After briefly reviewing the key points of the PA, its objectives and institutional structure, the study compares the interests, challenges, and needs of each of the four countries.
The document also includes a section that focuses on the PA’s place in the Latin American regional context, emphasizing points of convergence and those that set it apart, and paying particular attention to its relationship with Brazil.
It also addresses the relationship between the PA and other regional projects and global transformations. The author makes particular reference to the concept of integration that the PA has been implementing over the years, arguing that “what seemed to be a vision for the future is actually limited to cooperation between governments and businesses. Despite this, the leaders of the PA claim that the secret to their success lies precisely in the minimalist scope of their agreement which, being free of values, allows them to move forward more pragmatically.”
At the end of each individual chapter and the study as a whole, the author outlines his main conclusions, the lessons to be learned, and the warning signs that governments, businesspeople, and other players need to bear in mind as a result of the experience and evidence he has pointed to.