Lessons from Regional Responses to Security, Health and Environmental Challenges in Latin America
Ivo Ganchev (Ed.)
by Rafael Enrique Piñeros Ayala (Universidad Externado de Colombia, Colombia)
Regionalism in Latin America continues to form an elusive and changing reality. When it comes to addressing social challenges, the potential of regional integration is far from being reached. The excellent and innovative set of studies in this book sheds light on this topic and serves as an important contribution to the literature.
Prof. José Antonio Sanahuja
Complutense University, Spain
The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the surface vulnerabilities in health systems across Latin America. As the pandemic subsided, deep-seated violence and delayed responses to the preservation of environmental ecosystems resurfaced as part of a crucial challenge in the region. The timely analysis of the chapters in this volume is a reminder of the urgency of regional responses to three different interrelated crises that Latin American states struggle to address. The book will become an essential reading for analyzing Latin American regionalism.
Prof. Roberto Domínguez
Suffolk University
Despite recent turbulence in the international system and Latin American integration, the pandemic increased the need for robust coordination mechanisms at the regional level. This book is a timely contribution toward understanding the novel challenges that Latin America is facing in the post-pandemic world order. The book explores regional solutions to enduring problems in the areas of health, security, and environmental protection, anchoring this vast subject matter into critically grounded research.
Dr. Devika Misra
O. P. Jindal Global University, India
Latin America is perhaps the best example of how developing countries can manage regional affairs in a world dominated by superpowers. The chapters in the book are indeed monumental, and the variety of topics covered is very impressive. This edited volume is not just an interesting read but an essential compilation of works for anyone who wants to call oneself an expert in Latin America.
Dr. Arkadiy Eremin
Webster University
With scholarly rigour, this excellent volume adeptly examines Latin America's collective responses to diverse challenges emerging during the COVID-19 crisis in agendas sometimes unattended by the literature on regionalism. Representing a significant contribution to the debate, it arrives at a timely juncture, engaging scholars, policymakers, and students of regional governance from the region and beyond.
Dr. Melisa Deciancio
Latin American Social Sciences Institute (FLACSO) Argentina
In our increasingly interconnected world, various governance challenges quickly spill over across borders. The COVID-19 pandemic affected Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) more than any other developing region, drawing attention to the necessity to examine joint responses to collective challenges in the region. Most studies on LAC integration explore economic engagement, analyse particular regional organisations and events, or discuss the process of regionalism at large. However, the reality of politics is shaped by the need to address concrete problems, which are not always economic. In recent years, LAC states have faced numerous challenges in the fields of security, health and environmental protection, prompting three research questions. What is the role of Latin American organisations in maintaining regional security and how are relevant challenges addressed in Central America and the Andes? What was the impact of COVID-19 on Latin American states and how do regional actors respond to public health emergencies? And in what way is environmental policy formulated in different parts of Latin America and what lessons can be drawn for other developing regions? This edited volume addresses these questions through methodologically diverse perspectives, presented in eleven chapters which are authored by 16 authoritative academics. The contributions are thematically organised in three parts and present pragmatic considerations in mind, discussing existing and potential real solutions to pressing issues. Each chapter provides insights which would be of interest to scholars and students of regional governance or politics in Latin America or the Global South at large, as well as to policy advisors and decision-makers who seek to understand the reasons behind the successes and failures of Latin American regional responses to collective challenges as well as their limitations and potential for future improvement.
Dr. Ivo Ganchev is the Founding Director of the Centre for Regional Integration, where he is building a theory of regional integration for the Global South and leading the creation of a database mapping the historical evolution of all active regional organisations globally. He has previously taught courses on international and regional order(s) at several universities, including Queen Mary University of London, Beijing Foreign Studies University and Beijing Union University. His publications have examined various political shifts in developing regions, such as the rise of the Pink Tide in Latin America and the separation of Sudan in Africa. They have appeared in influential academic journals such as ‘World Affairs’, ‘Strategic Analysis’ and ‘International Studies’. Ivo frequently chairs and coordinates panels on Latin American politics and regionalism at the world’s largest conferences on international politics, organised by the International Studies Association and the World International Studies Committee, among others. He has delivered keynote speeches and guest lectures at over 100 public events. Ivo holds Worldwide Recognised Tutor Status from the University of London as well as a PhD from Peking University, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and a BA from Newcastle University. Outside of academia, Ivo has served as a Global Partner and a Fortune 500 consultant at a boutique advisory firm, as a Vice-Chairman at a chamber of commerce, and as a guitarist and vocalist in several rock bands. In addition to English, he speaks Bulgarian, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish. For further information, see his personal website: www.ivoganchev.com
Latin America, regionalism, Regional integration, regional organizations,International organizations, integration, cooperation, security, Non-traditional security, health, Public health, environment, Environmental protection, Climate change, governance, challenges, COVID-19, comparative politics, governance, lessons, policy
Subjects
InterdisciplinaryPolitical Science and International Relations
