ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the building up of the Central American Common Market back to its inception in the late 1950s. The central contention here is that the CACM was the result of strong bargaining and asymmetric co-operation among leading governments through which they pursued the realisation of their own political and economic interests. Integration was a means of strengthening the governments’ political control vis-à-vis domestic forces, building supportive coalitions to underpin their policies, particularly, the emerging industrial class. This perspective challenges the traditional arguments that explain Central American integration in terms of American hegemony, technocratic leadership, or structural determinants. These explanations assign no active role to the governments of the region except that of pawns following others’ dictates.
