Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC): From the Rio Group to Union South Nations (UNASUR)

The book analyzes three Regional Integration initiatives in the American continent:1) Rio Group (Permanent Consultation Mechanism). It emerged in 1986 from the Contadora Group. It was a forum for political dialogue to resolve regional crises without the direct intervention of external powers (USA). It was fundamental to pacify Central America during the civil conflicts of the 1980s. It had no bureaucratic structure (no headquarters, no secretariat); it operated through annual summits. In 2010, it merged with CALC to create CELAC. 2) UNASUR (Union of South American Nations) was born in 2008. Its purpose is to go beyond politics to achieve physical, energy and financial integration in South America. 3) CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States), formally constituted in 2011, is the most ambitious organization in terms of geographic scope. Purpose: To be the unified voice of the region. Unlike the OAS (Organization of American States), CELAC does not include the United States or Canada. It brings together the 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. It acts as an interlocutor vis-à-vis other blocs (such as the European Union or the BRICS).