Regionalism, Venezuelan crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic: the impact of regional fragmentation on the current scenario (2013-2020)

Abstract

Political convergence in South America, experienced between 1998 and 2013, marked by a scenario of economic growth and a strong incentive on the part of South American governments to cooperate and form spaces for integration, did not result in the deepening of existing regional processes. This period, known as post-hegemonic regionalism, although sharing common goals and values, led to the creation of different institutions that expanded the regional fragmentation once they were unable to consolidate themselves in the face of other existing structures. Thus, the main problem discussed here is the existence of a fragmented regional space. When questioning how South American regional institutions respond to national and regional demands in a fragmented scenario, this article seeks to analyze and evaluate the impacts of regional fragmentation in critical scenarios that require joint actions and regional institutional responses to solve problems that go beyond national borders, particularly the Venezuelan crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic. Through recent bibliographic analysis, as well as following news, and journalistic sources and official documents from existing South American regional blocs, this article argues that in an institutionally fragmented scenario, regional institutions are limited to providing answers to existing demands.