ABSTRACT
What are the peculiarities of Latin America’s post-hegemonic regionalism within the context of a regionally ascending left until 2015? What kind of historical background is this regionalism built on? What are the normative and institutional settings that help the Latin American left to put this post-hegemonic agenda into effect? My underlying argument is that the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) and the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) have led the way in bringing post-hegemonic regionalism from the margins to the mainstream of Latin American politics. Latin America’s post-hegemonic regionalism has been characterized by an agenda of social justice and development that refutes US neoliberal hegemony. ALBA’s most successful activities seem to concentrate on areas such as development, cultural integration, social movements, education, food security, and defense. Similarly, Unasur has made its name mainly in the areas of defense, infrastructural development, and health. Despite tangible advances in Latin America’s post-hegemonic regionalism, the sustainability of these regionalist practices is still open to debate. The continental rightward shift since 2015 has illustrated the fragility of Latin America’s post-hegemonic regionalism – its excessive reliance on charismatic leaders and dependence on extractivism – as it relates to the left’s failure to make a definitive break with neoliberalism.
