South American Regionalism between Brazil and Venezuela: Divergences during the Lula and Hugo Chávez Administrations

Abstract In the first decade of the 21st century, South America’s political landscape was marked by the rise of genuinely multilateral groups from the region that were organised on the margins of the OAS (Organization of American States), such as CASA (South American Community of Nations) and UNASUR (Union of South American Nations). Although this process has been widely portrayed in the literature on politics and regional integration, less attention has been paid to the differences between the protagonists of these arrangements. The present article’s main point is that Brazil and Venezuela played a leading role in that mobilization process, respectively under the administrations of Lula and Chávez. It argues that, despite ideological convergences and occasional alliances, there was a clash observed between the two leaders that entailed different conceptions of regional projects which polarised South American politics at the time.