Historically, Latin America has been a fertile ground for the emergence of populism. Scholars have identified several waves of populist governments flourishing in the region during the last century. The third wave began in the 2000s when... more
Historically, Latin America has been a fertile ground for the emergence of populism. Scholars have identified several waves of populist governments flourishing in the region during the last century. The third wave began in the 2000s when leftist leaders came to power in some Latin American countries, a phenomenon called "the Pink Tide". Two of the most notable examples of populist governments in this wave were Evo Morales in Bolivia (2006-2019) and Rafael Correa in Ecuador (2007-2017). Both leaders promoted an anti-elitist rhetoric highlighting a confrontational divide between domestic elites (as perpetrators of injustices) and the people (as victims). This rhetoric also involved external actors. The relationship with the great powers was permeated by the populist discourse based on the logic of "them vs. us". In this context, the paper analyses the rhetoric of Evo Morales and Rafael Correa concerning the role of the European Union in their countries. Primary sources (speeches, press releases and official documents) are examined to understand the image built around the EU and to grasp how populist rhetoric portrayed the EU's role in areas such as trade and migration. The result is a complex assessment of the ideas about the EU disseminated by these leaders, examining how Morales's and Correa's rhetoric evolved over the years and identifying similarities and differences between their approaches.
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The emergence of economic, political, social, and health crises brings to light the fact that, in a globalised world, isolated state responses are insufficient to face upcoming international challenges. Cooperative action, not only... more
The emergence of economic, political, social, and health crises brings to light the fact that, in a globalised world, isolated state responses are insufficient to face upcoming international challenges. Cooperative action, not only between states but also between regions, has become crucial. A salient case is the relationship between the European Union and Latin America. This biregional partnership is characterised by its foundation on common values inherited from a shared historical background. These values are closely related to a liberal standpoint that promotes multilateral cooperation as a way to find solutions to global issues. By studying this case, this paper aims to understand how interregional dialogue can become a driver of multilateralism and how it might reflect a political will to foster multilateral agreements. The expected result is a complex assessment of the EU-Latin American interregional dialogue examining how the official speech on multilateralism has evolved over the years and identifying whether multilateralism is a priority in the biregional agenda.
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Resumen: La Alianza del Pacífico es una iniciativa de integración regional que, desde su creación en el año 2011, ha despertado gran interés a nivel internacional. A propósito de su décimo aniversario, este artículo presenta una revisión... more
Resumen: La Alianza del Pacífico es una iniciativa de integración regional que, desde su creación en el año 2011, ha despertado gran interés a nivel internacional. A propósito de su décimo aniversario, este artículo presenta una revisión histórica de la evolución del libre comercio en los países miembros de la Alianza: Chile, Colombia, México y Perú. El objetivo es examinar los orígenes de la apertura comercial de estos países y destacar sus particularidades teniendo en cuenta el contexto regional. El resultado es un análisis general del proceso de internalización del libre comercio como paradigma a seguir en estos países explicando la manera en que este proceso se tradujo en el protagonismo del libre comercio dentro de la Alianza del Pacífico en particular.