ABSTRACT
The announced goals of Latin American regionalism have undergone deep changes in the past decades. Whereas during the 1980s objectives were mostly linked to the democratic turn and international recognition, in the 1990s the point was to build free markets in the context of neoliberal economic policies. In the 2000s, left-wing forces in government announced institutional measures in order to reinforce the political dimension of integration. In the 2010s, cooperation seems to be the main trait of the regional dialogue. Latin American states recognize common concerns in several fields even if economic integration is limited and there are no intentions of establishing supranational competences. Latin American regionalism has therefore managed to reinvent itself over the years. Does this evolution consist of a mere reaction to changing processes of economic globalization or does it correspond to different local, national or regional interests? In order to assess this question and the possibilities of region-building, it is crucial to identify the general context, including the motivations and actors, of this new phase.
