ABSTRACT

This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book demonstrates that post-hegemonic regionalism was largely South American, because the leaders and countries that promoted this movement were located in the subregion of Latin America. It suggests that Latin American regionalism after 2003 became a contentious arena in which diverse approaches and narratives to political, policy, and economic cooperation were at stake. Post-hegemonic initiatives co-existed with open regionalist ones; interventionist, anti-capitalist, and non-liberal narratives struggled to be present in the regional debates. The complexity of the stage of Latin American regionalism also prompted an intense debate about the Pacific vs. Atlantic divide used in some important international media to describe it. The book concludes with the contentious roles that either state or markets should play for the future of economic and political prosperity in the region.