After a left turn in South America, the former presidents have called for the relaunch of the Union of South American Nations

Two news stories, between the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, starkly symbolize the end of days. The Union of South American Nations (Union of South American Nations). On the one hand, there was Ecuador’s decision to restore the entity’s building in Quito for its public administration, and on the other hand, Uruguay dealt it the “death blow” by officially withdrawing from the initiative.

The idea of ​​re-floating the Union of South American Nations It was already in the political circles of various countries in the subregion, this November 14th A public letter signed by seven former presidents in Latin America, clearly calling for a reconsideration of the re-institutionalization An entity under the thesis that “Integration is necessary today more than ever before”.

It was the turning point The last electoral victory in Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvathe great reference of the left in Latin America, who actually assumed the presidency of his country between 2003 and 2010, who is experiencing a kind of political revival after he was imprisoned, and participated with the Workers’ Party (PT) in various corruption scandals during his time in power.

In Latin America in general, and in South America in particular, there is a new wave of governments headed by presidents who raise the flag of the left. Although there are nuances in their proposals and rhetoric, they all seem to agree Admiration for Castro’s dictatorship in Cuba. None of the new governments, elected thanks to the democratic models in their countries, demanded an electoral model similar to Cuba.

Diario de Cuba knew that The letter was released on November 14To a large extent it was At the initiative of former Colombian President Ernesto Samperwho was at that time the last Secretary General of the Arab Republic of Egypt Union of South American NationsHis term ended at the end of 2019.

The letter was signed by Michelle Bachelet (Chile), Rafael Correa (Ecuador), Eduardo Duhalde (Argentina), Ricardo Lagos (Chile), Jose Mugica (Uruguay), Dilma Rousseff (Brazil) and Samper himself. For these former leaders, South America faces a new international scenario and must regain its leading geopolitical role in the face of the pandemic that has plagued the world for nearly three years, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the raging conflict between China and the United States.

The Union of South American Nations It emerged in 2008 as a new integration model promoted by the late Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavezthen the then presidents of Brazil Lula da Silva, and Nestor Kirchner, from Argentina. Venezuela played a prominent role in financing the activities and operations of the entity.

In March 2020, The Uruguayan government of Luis Lacalle Poe formalized its withdrawal from the union With this decision, the organization was dying, with only three countries as partners: Venezuela, Guyana, and Suriname, among the twelve that initially made up the bloc.

The diatribes had already been announced in the last months of 2019. The Ecuadorean government, then headed by President Lenín Moreno, decided to restore the headquarters building, donated by Rafael Correa (2007-2017) to the legacy of his country . , and symbolically A statue of the founder, Nestor Kirchner, wandered around until it ended up in storage.

It is too early to tell where it is installed Union of South American Nations In this new phase, as there are no conditions in Ecuador, it is also not clear who will finance the initiative, given the public financial problems of Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro’s regime.

From Buenos Aires, geopolitical expert Andres Serpin told DIARIO DE CUBA that, apart from the concerns caused by some of the signatories of the letter, the underlying issue seems positive to him, given that we are facing “an international problem that is very unfavorable for the region.”

For Serbin, Head of the Regional Coordinator for Economic and Social Research (CRIES), “It is a good opportunity and it is very much needed for the region.” But he described his enthusiasm for the necessity of revising what had been the previous experience and avoiding the perceived politicization, given the turn to the left taking place in the region: “He must be guided by the real interests of inclusion and unity. The voice of the whole region.”

The expert states that the previous experience of Union of South American Nations He didn’t just leave mistakes. “Little has been said about successes, for example coordination in regional health and infrastructure,” he says. According to Serbin, cases that have not been without controversy, such as the South American Defense Council, should also be reconsidered.

The general message from the former presidents was to Presidents Alberto Fernandez (Argentina), Luis Arce (Bolivia), Lula da Silva (President-elect of Brazil), Guillermo Laso (Ecuador), Gabriel Boric (Chile) and Gustavo Petro (Chile). Colombia), Irfan Ali (Guyana), Mario Abdo Benitez (Paraguay), Pedro Castillo (Peru), Luis Lacalle Poe (Uruguay), Chan Santokhi (Suriname), Nicolás Maduro (Venezuela).

The letter, which was also signed by former foreign ministers and former officials of international organizations in the region, says, “Globalization as it has been organized until today is in question.” The result, according to the letter, is that “urgent intervention is required from multilateral organizations, which today, unfortunately, have often become weak and powerless.”