Comparing Europe and Latin America Defining crisis Comparing Europe and Latin America

Outline Defining the term: What is a crisis? What does it mean? Looking at specifics: The crisis in Europe The crisis in Latin America What do they have in common, what are the differences? What now?

Defining the term ‘Crisis’ is a notoriously difficult term to define In the literature, it has covered short-term crises (the Cuban missile crisis) to long-term developments (the economic crisis; the decline of the Roman or British empire) One definition a ‘perceived turning point in relationships between actors or between actors and their environment’ (Evans & Newham 1998: 101-2) Another definition ‘chaotic situations that might be experienced by people, states, governments, organizations etc.’ (Isyar 2008: 2) Crisis as a situation which is not normal or stable

Defining the term (II) As used in Western International Relations, ‘crisis’ is seen as something negative, a break from a previously desirable situation towards an undesirable situation Yet, in other cultures, crisis also signifies ‘opportunity’ According to Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr. (2008), the chinese sign for crisis represents both danger and opportunity When we are in a crisis is also a matter of debate as, therefore, is the question of how to address a particular situation

What is a crisis? Europe There has been broad consensus that the European Union is in crisis, but not much on what this crisis is or what it represents Part of a much broader crisis: ‘Regionalism [the world over] is in a deep crisis’ The European Sovereign Debt crisis The breakdown of the fundamentals of the European Union (Schmitter, 2012) Has integration gone too far?

What is a crisis (II): The case of Latin America The economic aspect The political aspect The case of regionalism Malamud: Offer, demand, strucutre Brazilian diplomat: What crisis? There is no crisis in regionalism. The particularities of each case

Case 1: Brazil There is broad agreement that there is, at least, an economic crisis and the data proves it However, there is no agreement on a political crisis Impeachment of Dilma proves that the institutions work or that they do not? Corruption scandals mean what? The fact that they are being discovered and investigated is progress or sign that the system is rotten? Points of view differ widely and reflect deep social and political divisions in society

Case 2: Venezuela What type of crisis? Is Maduro feeling ‘in crisis’? Who is to blame? What is to be done? Who should act? What role for whom in any crisis resolution? There is no agreement on most, if any, of these questions.

Case 3: Regional organizations in South America What is their role? Resolving regional problems or preserving national sovereignty? What aims do they have? Advancing a ‘regional model’ or preserving plurality of national models in the region? What purpose do they serve? Facilitate change or preserve the status quo? Again, there is no consensus on these questions.

What do they have in common? Key differences within and between cases Crises a reflection of deep divisions within society which also lead to different views on whether a crisis exist, what type of crisis exist and what to do about it What they have in common is that the tensions within society are too great for the system to hold. What channels can be used for these differences to be expressed in a coherent manner which allow for change?

Conclusions Crisis as a multi-faceted term with very different regional and local conotations Very different perspectives of the problems faced and possible solutions Very different views on what the role of regionalism should be in addressing these issues Key: Awareness of these differences. Do not try to ‘Europeanize’ them. European Union, for instance, is seen here as very different to what it sees itself.