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Rethinking Regionalisms in Times of Crises RETHINKING REGIONALISMS IN TIMES OF CRISES A COLLECTION OF ACTIVISTS’ PERSPECTIVES FROM LaTIN AMERICA, ASIA, AFRICA AND EUROPE RETHINKING REGIONALISMS IN TIMES OF CRISES RETHINKING REGIONALISMS IN TIMES OF CRISES A COLLECTION OF ACTIVISTS’ PERSPECTIVES FROM LaTIN AMERICA, ASIA, AFRICA AND EUROPE Editors: Gonzalo Berrón, Jenina Joy Chavez, Cecilia Olivet and Graciela Rodríguez Translation of articles on Latin America: Karen Lang Design: [email protected] Rio de Janeiro/ Amsterdam / Bangkok, October 2013 Published by the Transnational Institute, Instituto Equit and Focus on the Global South, as part of the initiative Peo- ple’s Agenda for Alternative Regionalisms (PAAR). Contents of the report may be quoted or reproduced for non-commercial purposes, provided that the source of infor- mation is acknowledged. Acknowledgements We draw inspiration from all the activists who are committed to developing people’s centred regional integration. Par- ticularly, we thank the authors for sharing their experiences in regional struggles and campaigns, and reflecting on the likely futures of regionalisms. We would also like to thank Siemenpuu Foundation for the financial support to the publication. Rethinking regionalisms in times of crises: A collection of activists’ perspectives from Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe / Instituto Equit Gênero, Economia e Cidadania Global. (ed.) – Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Eqüit, 2013. 104p. ISBN: 978-85-60794-15-7 1. International economics. I. Title. CDD – 337 Publishers The Transnational Institute was founded in 1974. It is an international network of activ- ist-scholars committed to critical analyses of the global problems of today and tomorrow. TNI seeks to provide intellectual support to those movements concerned to steer the world in a democratic, equitable and environmentally sustainable direction. www.tni.org Instituto Eqüit is dedicated to contributing to the transformation of social relations, focusing on gender relations. Its actions are based on a feminist vision that seeks to construct the citi- zenship of women by giving priority to democracy and human rights at the expense of the market logic. www.equit.org.br Focus on the Global South is a non-profit policy analysis, research and campaigning organ- isation, working in national, regional and international coalitions and campaigns, and with social movements and grassroots organizations on key issues confronting the global south. Focus was founded in 1995 and is attached to the Chulalongkorn University Social Research Institute (CUSRI) in Bangkok, Thailand. It has country programmes in the Philippines and India. www.focusweb.org The People’s Agenda for Alternative Regionalisms is an effort to promote cross-fertilisation of experiences on regional alternatives among social movements and civil society organisations from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. It aims to contribute to the understanding of alternative regional integration as a key strategy to struggle against neoliberal globalisation and to broaden the base among key social actors for political debate and action around re- gional integration. Since 2008, PAAR has facilitated the production of video documentaries (such as “Global Crises, Regional Solutions: Perspectives from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe” released in March 2012) and international conferences on regional alternatives (such as the one organised in Paraguay in 2009 on the theme “Regional Integration: an oppor- tunity to face the crises”). www.alternative-regionalisms.org Contents Introduction 11 Gonzalo Berrón, Cecilia Olivet and Graciela Rodríguez A world in crisis: the state of regional integration five years on Mercosur: what kind of integration is possible? 17 Graciela Rodríguez The Pacific Alliance and Unasur: integration and disintegration in South America 23 Carlos Alonso Bedoya The political economy of the Eurozone: this crisis is not an accident 29 Andy Storey Regional integration and the crisis: an agenda for SAARC 33 Meena R. Menon ASEAN Regional dynamics and prospects 39 Jenina Joy Chavez Current trends in Southern Africa: the challenges of reclaiming SADC for people’s development 45 Dot Keet Regional responses to the global economic, food and ecological crises Aspects of financial regionalisation: a Latin American perspective 53 Oscar Ugarteche Regional alternatives to a global crisis: a European perspective 65 Mariana Mortagua The SAARC Food Bank: can it abet food security in South Asia? 69 Afsar Jafri The ASEAN, challenges of climate change and spaces for civil society intervention 75 Dorothy Grace Guerrero Regionalism from below: the role of social actors in regional integration Assessing social participation in integration processes in South America after a decade of progressive governments 81 Gonzalo Berrón Regional movements in Europe: strategies, challenges and achievements 87 Sol Trumbo Regional governance of migration: ASEAN´s conundrum and spaces for civil society intervention 93 Jenina Joy Chavez People’s struggles and aspirations for regional integration in Southern Africa 99 Brian Ashley Contributors Carlos Bedoya (Peru) Carlos is a lawyer, journalist and member of the Latin American Network on Debt, Development and Rights (Latindadd) and columnist in the Peruvian newspaper La Primera. Gonzalo Berrón (Argentina) Gonzalo is Associate Fellow with the Transnational Institue and he acts as Project Director at the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in Brazil. He has played a leading role in coordinating Latin American movements resisting corporate “Free Trade Agreements.” He has been an integral part of ongoing discussions with civil society and progressive governments on building alternative just regional trade and financial architecture in Latin America. He worked as Coordinator of the Secretariat of the Hemispheric Social Alliance, and was until recently with the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas – (TUCA). Jenina Joy Chavez (Philippines) Joy is a Trustee of Action for Economic Reforms and Director of its program “Southeast Asia Monitor for Action”. She headed the Philippines office of the Asian think tank Focus on the Global South until 2011. She was an active member of the Solidarity for Asian People’s Advocacy (SAPA) and was involved in the organ- isation of several ASEAN Civil Society Conferences. She has done research on regionalisms, particularly on democratising regional processes, regional alternatives, and regional social policy. Dorothy Grace Guerrero (Philippines) Dottie is an educator, writer, researcher, and organizer. She has both organized and addressed courses, work- shops and conferences on the following themes that are under her research interest: climate change and cli- mate justice issues; China; regional integration/ASEAN; social and environmental impacts of free trade, in- vestments and TNCs; social transformation and democratization. She joined Focus on the Global South in June 2005 as coordinator of the organisation’s China Programme and after Focus’ reconstruction in 2012 started coordinating the Climate and Environmental Justice Programme. Afsar Jafri (India) Afsar is a Senior Research Associate with Focus on the Global South based in New Delhi. With over 15 years of work on agriculture and food policy, he has been leading Focus’ research on food sovereignty. Afsar is closely linked with farmers groups in India and outside. Dot Keet (South Africa) Dot Keet is a South African academic and activist involved in many national, regional, continental and international networks resisting corporate “free trade” agreements and the neo-liberal globalisation para- digm. She is an active member of the Southern African Peoples Solidarity Network (SAPSN), the key coor- dinator of the Southern African Social Forum (SASF); as well as the continent-wide Africa Trade Network (ATN); and the international Our World is Not for Sale (OWINFS) network. Meena R Menon (India) Meena is an activist and researcher/writer. She is currently a senior consultant with Action Aid India. She headed the India chapter of the Asian think tank Focus on the Global South for over 10 years. She is active 12 RETHINKING REGIONALISMS IN TIMES OF CRISES in the network of Peoples SAARC, the World Social Forum process (global, regional and national process- es), various peace networks, and urban development issues i.e. Sustainable Cities. Mariana Mortágua (Portugal) Mariana is an economist and advisor to the Left Block on economic and financial affairs at the Portuguese Parliament. She is an associate member of Dinâmia CET – Research Centre on Socioeconomic Change and a member of the Citizens Audition on Public Debt Commission. She is a PhD Student Candidate in Eco- nomics at SOAS, University of London. Cecilia Olivet (Uruguay) Cecilia is Project Coordinator with the Economic Justice Programme at the Transnational Institute where she carries out research, critical analysis, as well as campaigning on the European Union’s trade and invest- ment agenda and regional integration issues. She helps to coordinate the initiative People’s Agenda for Al- ternative Regionalisms (PAAR). She produced the video documentaries Global Crises, Regional Solutions (2012) and Integration of the Peoples: Building alternatives in Latin America (2008). Graciela Rodriguez (Brazil) Graciela is the coordinator of Instituto EQUIT in Brazil and member of the coordinating committees of the REBRIP – Brazilian Network for the Integration of the People, the HSA – Hemispheric Social Alliance and the PAAR Initiative. Andy
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