Regional Integration and Regional Orders. Power Configurations and Asymmetries

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Essay from the year 2011 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: Miscellaneous, grade: 2.0, University of Bath, language: English, abstract: [T]he long history of failed regional agreements in South America and some developments in the integration process have raised some doubts about the capacity of bloc members to accomplish their ambitious intentions. The hesitant progress in Latin American regional integration (Mercosur) caused increasing distrust if the uneven distribution of power resources and abilities within the region can lead to successful and steady integration processes. Is the regional hegemon Brazil perhaps too powerful in order to let this demanding project succeed? Power configurations in regional orders are, so will be argued, a double-edged sword: While asymmetric power structures are possibly a prerequisite for deepening integration processes, but they can also cause conflict between less powerful states on the one hand and leading ones on the other. According to power transition theory, satisfaction about the prevalent power structures among actors can be assumed to be the second precondition for effective integration. Conflict is then guaranteed when power parity between two or more dissatisfied actors is established. Both perspectives will be discussed and assessed in the subsequent sections, after the concept of power in multilateral relations is defined and asymmetries detected. Two examples, the European Union and Mercosur, shall exemplify the efficacies and tensions behind imbalanced power structures among regional powers and their will and ability to integrate further.

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