1st Edition

The Politics of Central American Integration

By Rafael A. Sánchez Sánchez Copyright 2009
    248 Pages
    by Routledge

    248 Pages
    by Routledge

    Since its inception in the 1960s to the regional negotiations in the 1990s and onwards, Central American integration has been a process characterized by both dramatic advances and setbacks. This book provides a theoretical explanation of this ebb and flow, examining different stages including the military conflicts of the 1980s, the subsequent Esquipulas peace process, and the relaunch of integration during the 1990s under the System of Central American Integration (SICA).

    Sánchez Sánchez's analysis focuses on the policies and preferences of the larger states of the region, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala, and argues that integration relies on intergovernmental bargaining. Interviews, historical and comparative data are presented in a format invaluable for students and teachers concerned with comparative regional integration, as well as for those seeking a greater understanding of contemporary Central American regional and international politics and development.

    Introduction.  1. Intergovernmentalism in International Theory of Integration  2. States’ Preferences on Integration: The Cases of Costa Rica and El Salvador  3. The Establishing of the Central American Common Market (CACM)  4. Growth and Instability in the CACM  5. War and Disintegration in the CACM in the 1980s  6. Rebuilding Integration in the 1990s  7. Restructuring the CACM in the 1990s: The Move towards Open Regionalism  8. Concluding Chapter

    Biography

    Rafael A. Sánchez Sánchez is a London-based independent researcher and analyst on Central American issues.