In a bid to revive regional cooperation initiatives, that formerly stalled due to the continent’s political instability and divisiveness, South America’s leaders would once again convene in the Brazilian capital tomorrow.
Analysts claim that due to the political similarities between the present-day governments in the region, Lula sees a chance for unification, and seems to want to challenge the region’s leaders’ readiness to work together, by reviving the Union of South American Nations, or UNASUR.
The regional bloc was first founded 15 years ago in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia, during the second term of former labor leader Lula as president. Its goal was to unite the 12 South American countries politically, socially, economically, and culturally.
Hugo Chávez, the late president of Venezuela, played a major role in UNASUR formation, and regarded it as a way to neutralize America’s influence in the area. The organization was also known for having a socialist lean.
However, the gatherings folded up once the continent took a turn to the right. 2014 was the final gathering of all UNASUR participants. Seven nations withdrew from Unasur after 2017, due to concerns about its management and the membership of Venezuela’s autocratic President Nicolás Maduro, among them was Brazil in 2019 under the far-right Jair Bolsonaro.
“Unasur’s greatest problem is that it was built in a moment when there were leftist leaders, and it shattered when right-wing leaders came along,” Oliver Stuenkel, an international relations professor at Getúlio Vargas Foundation said. “It is easy to talk about its comeback now, but they need to think of ways to make this second attempt last.”
Eleven South American leaders will gather in Brasilia tomorrow, along with the head of Peru’s Council of Ministers, whose president, Dina Boluarte, is subjected to investigation and therefore unable to depart the country. According to sources, Brazil does not wish to compel the resurgence of UNASUR, thus the summit has been officially dubbed as gathering of South American Heads of States.
The challenge, according to observers, would be creating a bloc that could withstand the political turmoil and switches in the region.
Although most of South America’s leaders are currently leftist or centrist, there is no assurance that this would continue. The victory of Chile’s far-right in polls to choose commission officials to draft a fresh constitution in May, served as further evidence, after voters rejected the leftist-influenced drafted constitution, that substituted Chile’s dictatorship-era constitution.
Argentina may also experience a similar rightward shift given that, current President Alberto Fernández would not contest for reelection this year, due to the country’s high inflation rate.
Maduro Arrives In Brazil
Maduro of Venezuela landed today for the event in Brasilia, giving Lula the chance for their first official diplomatic encounter. Brazil banned Maduro and most of his government officials from visiting the nation under Jair Bolsonaro, and it acknowledged opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the rightful leader of Venezuela.
Carolina Silva Pedroso, a professor of international affairs at Sao Paulo’s Federal University, claimed that regardless of whether the two administrations reach an agreement, Venezuela is a neighbor and cannot be disregarded or have diplomatic ties broken.
According to Pedroso, Brazil may mediate the political situation in Venezuela, and would want to stop the over 400,000 Venezuelans that have entered its borders since 2018, but the team must go past its history and challenges.
Unasur “couldn’t lead important projects in cooperation in diverse areas after some governments were electorally defeated,” said Pedroso. “And it did not establish a direct connection with the populations in its countries.”
Analysts predicted that political instability in several South American nations would make it difficult for leaders to advance plans. Brazil would try to make sure that every leader attending the gathering have some kind of diplomatic connection, according to Stuenkel, but “this will crash when a new president comes in.”
“Countries in the region need to think how they will react when Argentina breaks, or if any bilateral crisis evolves, such as Colombia and Peru’s conflict in the border,” he said. Criticism of Boluarte has hurt Peru’s reputation when her administration forcefully suppressed anti-government demonstrations after Pedro Castillo was removed from office.
READ ALSO:Museveni Pens Anti- gay Bill Into Law
