Entre la unión y la desunión: alcances y limitaciones de la integración centroamericana

This article rests upon the premise that Central America’s comparative advantage in an ever more competitive and globalized economy resides in regional integration. However, until now, the regional integration process has suffered from several paradoxes: the process of democratization has been followed by a growing disaffection of the public toward democracy; the intensification of regional trade contrasts with the inertia of political relations; the record of economic growth is tarnished by a rise in inequality and poverty; the recurrence of integrationist discourses obscures the absence of concrete regional initiatives. This analysis also explores Central America’s relations with the rest of the world. Its strong dependence on US trade explains why Central America, like Mexico, was particularly affected by the economic crisis. Central America strengthened its ties with the European Union by signing an Association Agreement in 2010, making it the only region of Latin America that managed to finalize these negotiations as a trade bloc. In addition, it has developed its partnership with the Asia-Pacific bloc, which has largely contributed to the economic recovery of Central American countries since the crisis. Finally, at the regional level, ALBA, and more specifically the Petrocaribe program, has gained the support of several Central American countries. To conclude, the author presents the main challenges that Central America will have to face to reinforce the regional integration process and strengthen its ties with the rest of the world: 1) the persistence of asymmetries between and within Central American countries; 2) the absence of regional cohesion funds that might reduce these inequalities; 3) the lack of political will, along with the weakness of current regional institutions and the absence of binding decisions. In the light of these obstacles, Central American integration will remain a medium term project