South America Through Securitization Process: The Case Study Of UNASUR

Processes of regional integration are one of the most observable phenomena during theage of globalization. Similar trends have been observed in South America and academia hasbeen trying to theorize and comprehend these processes.Literature that exists regarding the South American integration can be divided on thebasis of factors which various groups attribute to be the responsible forces behind integration.What intrigues is the fact that despite the fast and tremendous growth of individual countriesin the region, why the step of regional integration has been slow and what factors have keptcountries in the region to integrate effectively.In the analysis of the phenomena of defense and international security, the RegionalSecurity Complex Theory (RSCT) had a major impact in bringing the study of the regionallevel for accepting these phenomena. Still, considerate the Regional Security ComplexTheory in South America, as described by Buzan e W ver, it seems limited, or even outdated,due to some misunderstandings of specific dynamics of the region.This dissertation seeks to accomplish an expansion of the leading role of UNASURunderstanding the Regional Security Complex in South America, updating polaritydescriptions from the region, also currently the potential securitizer in this arrangement ofsecurity.Then be described like that shown theoretical expectation from a solid empiricalanalysis of the Union South American Nations (UNASUR) and, in particular, to its SouthAmerican Defense Council.As Buzan and W ver described the Regional Security Complex (RSC) in SouthAmerica is categorized by a greater stabilization in the region, which tended after the ColdWar, to move away from radicalism, from the political control of the military, with particularattention to the integration processes regional.However, it appears that, especially after the Cold War, South America is clearly not apriority in the operating region of the United States. Still, what the South American stateshave sought to do is creating a balance which is trying to make a relative distancing to theUnited States influence. According to Buzan and W ver, the changing relationship with the U.S. has more to dowith the changing of its own priorities. In particular, the impact of September11th (2001)could lead to a change in the U.S. role, which could get out of a strictly regional position, likethe “war on drugs” and enter into the region by a global justification, like the fight againstterrorism.This ends up not happening, even though many authors say that the “war on drugs”,from the U.S. perspective, came bringing an overly militaristic bias, which worried the region.The Colombian crisis is multidimensional and can affect all around the South Americanregional complex.Another element brought, is the tendency to potential political instability in the region,like the Chavez government was, which oscillated between support for insurgents inColombia and the application of Venezuela to the Mercosur.According to the theorists an important explanation for the more stable character inSouth America, in comparison with other regions, it’s closer to the hegemonic stabilizer rolefrom Brazil. After the period of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Brazil becameessentially a status quo power in the region, preferring the “diplomatic networks’” and with astrongly common interest for regional stability and cooperation.Recognizing the cohesion of the Regional Security Complex in South America, it isnecessary to examine the joint action at the regional level. While countries in the regionpreach, in general, the principle of non-intervention, sometimes they leave the U.S. carryingout interventions when necessary.However, the question of foreign involvement, the differences in the conditions of theSouth American states and their interests eventually led to a major barrier to transnationalism.Over the junction of the elements of economic integration with the security agenda, Buzanand W ver argue that from the perspective of South American countries the UNASURshould play the role as a securitizer character in this region.Despite the differences and the risk of a breakup of the RSC in South America, somecountries on this region still serving to keep a unity between the institutions in SouthAmerican. The question asked is whether South America countries would seek to create analternative that avoids the massive U.S. presence in the region and seek multilateralizing it.Although emphasizing on several occasions, the importance of the future of institutionsfor the Regional Security Complex in South America, like the drug trafficking, could eventually become a cohesive factor for the region although it currently works as a dividerelement.Regional dynamics have never been strong enough to shape the internal securitydevelopments among South American states especially due to the fact that the area never wasstrongly polarized.