With the announcement of Colombia’s withdrawal from the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), there are now five other countries who are considering following Colombia by officially leaving the supra-national organisation. UNASUR was formed in 2008 and entered into force in 2011. This process was initiated by former President Lula of Brazil who had then declared that the organisation would make a “huge leap forward in economic and social development.” Yet, it is arguable whether UNASUR produced these results or not.
The Union of South American Nations is another example of the global trend by regional organisations to mimic the development and growth of the European Union and following in the footsteps of the African Union. By establishing a mechanism for greater South American integration, the member-states envisaged cooperation of a higher degree. Blueprints for UNASUR’s future included a single continent-wide currency, named the ‘Sucre,’ and a single South American passport. In recent years work had also been done to democratise UNASUR to set up a South American Parliament, reflecting the European Parliament.
Underlying these tectonic shifts in South American multilateralism was to reassert the continents independence. Primarily, this includes a shift away from American hegemony in the Western Hemisphere, ensuring the US was dis-empowered through stronger economic and political ties transcending the Amazonian and Andean borders.
A bold vision like this required trust and coordination between the member-states at an unprecedented level—a shared continental colonial history, a shared Iberian culture and shared languages constituted a fertile ground for this to occur. The potential success of the regional integration in South America would have surpassed the success of the European Union thus far. So the question then arises of why has the Union of South American Nations come so close to collapse a decade after its founding?
Over the last six months, Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Ecuador had temporarily suspended their membership. As the new Colombian President, Iván Duque Márquez, took his oath of office in August he became the first leader to entirely withdraw his country from the supranational organisation, citing that UNASUR had become:
“an institution that has been the greatest accomplice of the Venezuelan dictatorship […] with its silence and often with its complacency.”
While it may seem like an abrupt change in foreign policy trends on the continent it has represented a broader change in direction of Colombian foreign policy promised by the newly installed government. But even more so it is small piece of the fracturing occurring on the continent—UNASUR has been without a secretary-general since January 2017 when the Colombian Ernesto Samper resigned. The member-states have been unable to come to a consensus on the basic issue of who the individual should be that leads the organisation’s administration.
The future of UNASAR remains in doubt—the membership of Brazil, the largest provider of security in the region, is untenable; and the membership of the largest economies in South America is not guaranteed. A common monetary and financial policy seems far away as the differences between the strongest and weakest economies grow larger.
The multiple trading blocs still exist in the continent, such as the Pacific Alliance and MERCOSUR, which have been highlighted as foreign policy initiatives that should be prioritised by not just Colombia but also by Brazil. Therefore, a solution may lie with these blocs which are integrated economically first and then all the blocs move towards greater cooperation and integration among each other.
With the exit of Colombia, the destiny of UNASUR seems absolutely clear—its days are numbered. What comes next? The nations of South America still see benefits in multilateralism, they foresee greater economic prosperity, and they still support political integration between each other. But an entirely new framework would be required, where progress is consensual and gradual and the immediate ambitions are not encompassing a single currency or passport but focus on economic and social development for all South Americans.
