POLITICAL LEADERSHIP IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF A REGION
Reflections on Emmanuel Macron's views on European integration |
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A recent article published in The Economist was based
on Emmanuel Macron's opinion on what would be the most advisable strategy
for joint work among the countries of the EU to harness the opportunities
open to them in the current international scenario.
Although it refers to Europe, it raises a debate that
has many precedents in different regions. Moreover, everything indicates
that it will remain an ongoing valid debate, especially in the political
and business spheres, both in theory and in practice.
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The idea of economic integration between countries belonging to the
same geographical region, within the framework of the multiple options
presented to them for the development of strategies for their international
integration, is one of the topics which is increasingly attracting the
attention of practitioners and specialists in the academic and political
spheres.
The fundamental question most often asked is: What are the best strategies
and methodologies that should be adopted by countries in the same region
wishing to cooperate and take advantage of the opportunities offered to
them by the current international scenario?
It is a question that has been valid at different times in many geographic
regions, as European and Latin American history shows. In particular,
it is today a fundamental question in the analysis of the future development
of the European Union. In this regard, it is worth reviewing the article
in The Economist of May 2, which reflects this central debate (Edward
Carr, Deputy Editor: 'A region in mortal danger. Emmanuel Macron's urgent
message for Europe. The French president issues a dark and prophetic warning'.
We recommend reading Macron's text in English and especially the full
text in French.)
In concrete terms, it is a matter of placing an issue that is central
to our country and to other countries in Latin America in the perspective
of the profound changes that are currently taking place in the international
environment and, above all, in global economic competition. Moreover,
these changes remind us that, in the past, the profound changes that led
to shifts in world power and, ultimately, to war, have often been closely
linked.
Today we are facing a global systemic crisis that seems to recreate the
classic historical tension between order and anarchy in international
relations. We have referred to this issue on several occasions in the
past. It is a tension that manifests itself in difficulties in finding
effective responses to collective problems confronted on a global scale.
And it can create systemic problems within countries that have been, and
will continue to be, important players in the international system. These
are also problems that can undermine citizens' confidence in the capacity
of their governments.
As we have noted on other opportunities, there are three necessary conditions
for the strategy to be followed by each of the countries concerned. These
are:
a) Institutional quality, which means developing the capacity to articulate
the various social interests in a stable way, so as to be able to translate
the agreed objectives into realities and effective behavior;
b) That the enterprises of each country can develop offensive strategies
resulting from a vocation for active participation in international
markets, based on an updated diagnosis of the opportunities offered
to their own capacity to produce goods and provide services in other
markets; and
c) Coordinating efforts at regional level with countries sharing a similar
geographical area, relative conditions and interests, e.g. food producers
or energy exporters. This requires greater coordination between countries
sharing a region or sub-region, both in drawing up the relevant and
necessary diagnoses and in developing strategies for common action to
respond to the challenges and opportunities that arise.
What seems clear is that a situation such as the one that is opening
up in the current global international scenario requires countries like
ours to adopt attitudes and policies that allow us to capitalise on past
experiences and adopt integration strategies, objectives and methodologies
that are adapted to the new realities of the country and the world (see
our article 'Integración regional e inserción internacional
de América Latina en un mundo de múltiples opciones', in
the book 'La agenda internacional de América Latina: entre nuevas
y viejas alianzas' by Wollrad; Maihold and Mols, published in Buenos Aires
by Nueva Sociedad; SWP and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, 2011).
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- Bircher, Marisa, "No podemos permitirnos cuatro años
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al pacto con la UE",Clarín newspaper, Rural Section, 20
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- Peña, Marcos, "El arte de subir (y bajar) la montaña",
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- Taiana, Francisco A., "Argentina, China y el mundo (1945-2022)",
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- Tellis, Ashley, "India's arduous road to achieving its great
power ambition", East Asia Forum, 21 April 2024, www.eastasiaforum.org.
- Vieira Posada, Edgar; Peña, Félix, (Editores), "La
covid-19 y los cambios en la integración latinoamericana y europea",
Colección GRIDALE, Ediciones Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia,
Bogotá, 2021.
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Félix Peña es Director
del Instituto de Comercio Internacional de la Fundación ICBC; Director
de la Maestría en Relaciones Comerciales Internacionales de la
Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero (UNTREF); Miembro del Comité
Ejecutivo del Consejo Argentino para las Relaciones Internacionales (CARI).
Miembro del Brains Trust del Evian Group. Ampliar
trayectoria.
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