THE ROLE OF BRAZIL IN THE REGIONAL INTEGRATION PROCESS IN MERCOSUR

Abstract

In the world system, Brazil plays the hybrid role of semiperiphery, alternating between regional leadership and subordination. In South America, the country is one of the main protagonists of the integration initiatives, among them the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR), created in 1991, and composed of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. Although all the effective members of MERCOSUR have the same voting power and veto, political and economic influence is different, therefore, not all countries enjoy the same advantages of the integration process or they influence in the same way the discussions and decisions taken in the scope of the block. MERCOSUR has undergone some transformations since its inception, which resulted in the signing of additional protocols to the Treaty of Asuncion and the creation of the MERCOSUR Structural Convergence Fund (FOCEM), from which it is possible to analyze the Brazilian influence from the point of view of economic and political view.