Test 5 Modern international relations in Latin America

Ex.1 Make a literary translation of the text.

Latin American integration

The hope for Latin American integration dates from the era of independence and has been strengthened and translated into concrete efforts in the last half of XXth century. Over the years, many reasons have been given for promoting and justifying a rapprochement among the nations of the continent, ranging from their common origin to economic necessity. In each case, these reasons have been tied to projects that were considered to be desirable for the countries of the region.

During the fifties, the integration effort focused on the economic area and aimed at establishing a common market that would promote economic growth and reinforce ties of a social and cultural nature.

The first integration agreements in the region were formalized in 1960. Since then, there have been a number of successes and frustrations. Often, these have been tied to the political and economic reality of each of the countries of the continent. The democratic eras have been good for integration, while episodes of authoritarianism have led to ruptures and distancing. The periods of economic booms have promoted reciprocal trade and other ties among the productive sectors, while by contrast, those of crisis and recession have provoked isolation.

In the integration process, the establishment of a Latin American institutional system has been achieved. Subregional agreements have evolved into an integration map in which similar groups of countries aspire to joint development. The Andean countries, Central America, the Caribbean and the South Atlantic section of the continent have carved out their own economic spaces. More recently, the North American countries have established a Free Trade Area and have expanded the horizon of integration beyond Latin America and the Caribbean.

In the decade of the nineties, conditions of political and economic stability allowed significant progress to be made in economic integration. Democracy, as a generalized government regime, has proven to be a favorable framework for this evolution.

In terms of trade, during the nineties, regional trade grew at an average rate of 20% per annum until 1997, with a much lower growth rate in 1998 (1.9%), and investments among countries of the region notably increased.

The very dynamism of the process has contributed to its complexity, both in the economic as well as the institutional aspects. In order to consolidate the successes achieved, different initiatives have been promoted, most of which are geared to greater convergence of the existing schemes. Among them it is worthwhile to mention the proposals for a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and a South American Free Trade Area (SAFTA). The compatibility between them, and subsequently between them and the Latin American and Caribbean Common Market, is a problem that has not yet been resolved. Neither has the relationship between the subregional groups and such schemes been clarified.

Whatever the result of negotiations and debates regarding this issue, it is clear that what is at stake are the development possibilities of Latin America and the Caribbean and the future of relations among countries of the Hemisphere.

Ex. 2 Make up 10 questions to the text “Latin American integration”.

Ex.3 Translate the text in English in writing.