ABSTRACT
Over the years, both casual observers and seasoned scholars have speculated as to why Latin American systems of integration lag so far behind the point of reference (or the outright model) offered by the European Union. Why has the region of the world that is closest to Europe (with the obvious exception of the United States and Canada) in history and cultural origin not succeeded in adopting the European path in spite of the considerable financial efforts dedicated by Brussels to Latin America? Why is there a recurring contrast between official declarations that for the last quarter of a century have vouched to pursue the goal of integration similar to the EU and the empirical reality riddled by shortcomings and failure? What do Latin American leaders mean when they declare that the region needs ‘its own model of integration’, sidelining the influence of the EU precedent? What is this elusive Latin American alternative? This chapter explores several possible explanations to these questions.
