ABSTRACT
T he history of Latin American economic integration has been a checkered one. Periodic efforts have been made since the early 19605,
but most have had only very limited success. Inward-oriented development strategies, national security concerns, or wildly fluctuating macroeconomic policies have frequently derailed these attempts. In the last decade, however, much has changed. Most Latin American countries have taken steps to open up their economies and encourage foreign trade. They have undergone transitions to (more or less) democratic governments that have lessened the role of military leaders and their preoccupation with national security. The end of the Cold War, moreover, has profoundly affected Latin America's foreign relations, bringing an increasing enthusiasm for warmer relations with the United States (witness Argentina under Menem) and with neighbors. This has led to a more cooperative interamerican system.
