Celac and Unasur As Viable Alternatives to U.S. Hegemonic Pretensions in the Western Hemisphere

During the past decade, the People's Republic of China has replaced the United States of America as the most significant source of imports and investment capital as well as become the most important export market for a number of Latin American countries.  In fact, the USA has often been relegated to fourth place in terms of its ranking as a trade partner for a number of South American nations  (behind China, the European Union, or even other Latin American republics). This paper examines the most recent efforts at economic and political integration and/or cooperation in Latin America (i.e., the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States or CELAC and the Union of South American States or UNASUR) and the success of each in achieving their respective goals as well as in liberating their member states from the dominance of institutions traditionally utilized by the United States, such as the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Inter-American Development Bank, to exert its hegemony in the Western Hemisphere. In particular, the paper will look at efforts to incorporate the older MERCOSUR project into UNASUR, explore the dynamics between CELAC and UNASUR, and assess the efforts of Chile to serve as a bridge between the more free market oriented Pacific Alliance nations (made up of Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Mexico) and those countries less enamored with the neo-liberal economic agenda such as Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.  The paper will also address the role the new Macri government in Argentina may play in this unfolding scenario of shifting economic and political allegiances.