United Nations University Series on Regionalism

This book analyzes regional integration in South America with a focus on the Mercosur and Brazilian foreign policy from the 1990s. It reviews the history of the Mercosur and identifies the results achieved by the bloc, as well as the causes of difficulties and the reasons for stalemates over nearly 30 years of its existence. The authors identify the complex interrelation between domestic and foreign factors that have shaped Brazilian foreign policy. From 1991 onwards, relations between Latin American countries have changed while the Mercosur developed from a free trade area to a customs union. While intrabloc trade grew, there were huge difficulties in the form of regional institutional affirmation and cooperation. This history is of the utmost importance to understanding regionalism and politics in Latin America. The book therefore has two interrelated analytical dimensions: namely, focus on ideas and identity; and behavior, actions, and economic and political interests. Thisvery topical book is of interest for researchers and students of Brazilian foreign policy and those of Latin American and/or Mercosur countries. Particularly, readers interested in regionalism will find important theoretical and empirical elements in this book, as well as discussions necessary for comprehending the role of big, emerging countries, and the potential and limits to their international role. 

This book discusses the interaction between and the impact of overlapping actions by regional organizations while dealing with critical events. It compares all the sub-regions in South America and Africa from this perspective and creates new knowledge through cross-regional gleanings. The book analyses types of institutional interaction among regional organizations and the effects of overlapping actions on the coexistence or fracturing of regional processes. It examines and compares the dynamics of these interactions in both South America and Africa. The book contributes to the study of comparative regionalism by providing generalization and institutional learning based on a cross-regional approach. It gives to students, researchers and interested readers an understanding of the complexity of regional affairs in multi-organizational environments.

This book explores collaborations between the European Union (EU) and the CELAC ( Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) in science diplomacy, as well as the related areas of cyberdiplomacy and techplomacy. It focuses on how interregional collaboration could strengthen societal resilience in both LAC and EU member countries and contribute to realising the SDGs and Agenda 2030 objectives. The book explores the history of EU relations with LAC, and provides a conceptual basis for science diplomacy, including cyberdiplomacy and techplomacy in the context of international relations and diplomacy studies. It highlights how COVID-19 has accelerated pre-existing trends in diplomacy in EU and LAC, forcing diplomats online and making them confront scientific and technical issues as core parts of foreign policy agendas and future pandemic preparedness. The book also examines the role of science diplomacy between these regions in relation to the climate change debate and reflects onwhether the EU-LAC collaboration in science and R&D can be taken to a policy level. It provides suggestions on ways in which the CELAC and the EU could collaborate, both in promoting a ruled-based cyberspace and in strengthening digital resilience, and situates this collaboration in the broader geopolitical, scientific and technological environments. 

Authored by experts in this field, this highly topical book is of interest to a wide readership interested in diplomacy studies, public policy, international relations, regionalism, and S&T studies.

This book provides a detailed theoretical and practical analysis of a key concept in cooperation, namely mutual trust, in the EU and ASEAN regions. It particularly looks at the issue of counterterrorism. It analyses the differences in the legalistic approach of the EU and the consultation and consensus-based approach in the ASEAN region, and the correlation between mutual trust and regional and interregional cooperation against terrorism. Thereby, this book extends the well-known concept of counterterrorism in EU criminal law to another regional case in order to analyse its possible use and operationalisation in other regions. It provides important findings on whether and, if so, how the EU and ASEAN legal frameworks have facilitated intra-regional – and potentially interregional – cooperation. In order to measure trust, it focuses on information sharing, and discusses the terminology related to this matter, the mechanisms of cooperation, and the difficulties and successes of information sharing.

This book is of great interest for academics doing research on trust, transnational cooperation, regional counterterrorism legal architecture in the EU and ASEAN, and comparative legal regional and interregional analysis, and officials and practitioners involved in transnational cooperation in criminal matters, especially terrorism.

This Open Access book addresses climate change in Europe and Latin America from a comparative regionalism studies (CRS) perspective. Written by an international team of scholars and experts, chapters critically analyze proposals for mitigating climate change while contributing to the mutual understanding about the issues at stake across regions. The book is divided into three main sections. In the first section, authors discuss EU and Latin American cooperation, negotiations, and perspectives on climate change, exploring their agendas, the interests and key challenges at the global, regional and interregional levels. The second section focuses on the challenges to finance development and a greener economy. The third section explores new green solutions to climate change in the agriculture sector and initiatives such as nature-based solutions to climate change and best practices. Providing policy oriented solutions for combatting regional climate change at a critical juncture, this volume will be of interest to researchers and students of international relations, international law, and environmental politics, as well as public officials and climate change activists.

This original book systematically examines Japan’s defense engagement with its strategic partners since the end of the Cold War based on Japan’s national security strategy. The author maps three defense engagement activities: military exercises, capacity building, and defense equipment transfer and technology cooperation – and subsequently evaluates these against the three national security objectives: deterrence, cooperative security, and the Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision. The book asks two important research questions: why is Japan active in defense engagement with the armed forces of its strategic partners? And, what purposes do Japan’s self-defense forces pursue? Through the ten carefully selected cases of strategic partners: Australia, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, ASEAN, the UK, France, NATO, and the EU, the book follows a structured, cross-case comparison based on the analytical framework developed for the research. It also discusses the evolution of Japan’s postwar defense policy, providing a solid background for the case studies. The book overall argues that, while the Japan-US alliance is still the most indispensable, Japan’s strategic partnerships are a valuable instrument of deterrence that contributes to Japan’s national security objectives. In order to more effectively pursue these objectives and thus secure the national interest, Japan must pursue a purpose-driven defense engagement.

The present volume uses a comparative regional approach to analyze how permacrisis—an extended period of instability and insecurity—has been experienced and dealt with in the European Union (EU) and Latin America. Written by academicians and policy experts from both regions, the volume has three main objectives. Firstly, it critically evaluates the response of regional organizations and governments in the EU and Latin America to the crises that have shaken these regions in recent years. Secondly, chapters contribute to a better understanding of the promised benefits and risks of digital currencies and fintech more generally to economic growth, financial stability and inclusion. Finally, the volume promotes an understanding of the challenges of permacrisis in both the EU and Latin America, as well as encouraging their cooperation at the multilateral and bi-regional levels. Providing an interdisciplinary perspective, this volume will be of interest to researchers and students of international relations, international political economy, international finance and economics, international law, global governance, and regionalism, as well as public officials of ministries of foreign affairs, finance and the economy, public officials of international and regional organizations.

This is an open access book.

This book develops a comprehensive analysis of contemporary regionalism in the Americas, which the authors characterise as Liquid Regionalism, given its unstable, flexible and loose characteristics. It innovates by introducing a new concept to assess regional initiatives in the American continents, contributing to Latin American and comparative regionalism research agendas. The book analyses major regional projects in the Americas and develops these into a novel typology of consultation, cooperation and integration. This typology helps explain the level of commitments and institutional depth of regional initiatives across the continent. The book is for scholars, postgraduate and undergraduate students interested in the regional and political dynamics of the Americas across the social sciences, including international relations, political science, sociology, international political economy, international trade, and history.