Still a Pragmatic Tool to Address Specific Problems? South American Regionalism and the Response to COVID-19

Abstract Regionalism in South America was once described to the author by a senior Brazilian Diplomat as a ‘pragmatic tool to address specific problems’. Yet, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in South America – the worst-hit region in the world – regionalism has been conspicuous by its absence as such a tool, despite the fact that international organizations and other actors have pointed to the urgent need for regional cooperation on the subject. What explains this lack of regional cooperation? Utilizing the conceptual frameworks of Complexity and Human Systems Dynamics, this article argues that regionalism in South America actually suffers from a lack of coherence. As such, some suggestions will be made throughout the article as to how to address this incoherence in response to COVID-19 and, as such, be able to address some of the specific challenges brought about by the pandemic. It is argued that the policy-focus should be very narrow, and that the focus should be on the economic impact and vaccines. Furthermore, the article suggests that regional cooperation should happen below the level of national governments. Some suggestions are made as to how this can be achieved. It is shown throughout the article that such narrow, and often sub-national focus can restore some coherence, which will allow for a more effective regional response to the worst pandemic experienced in 100 years.