Bolivarian alliance for the peoples of our America - peoples trade treaty: a challenge to integration theory

Abstract

The analysis of the ALBA-TCP (The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America - Peoples Trade Treaty) poses a significant challenge to the concepts and/or typologies developed in the Latin American integration theories. The ALBA-TCP can be first compared to the ALADI (Latin American Integration Association) since it is based, more on facts than written documents, on a bilateralism that constitutes a previous step towards multilateralism in interregional relations. However, it is different from ALADI’s pragmatism and other well-known integration modalities mainly due to its total lack of a commercial perspective. Starting from the traditional concept of solidarity-based integration, but at the same time intending to transcend it, we seek to establish new approaches that can account for this process, characterized by the promotion of economic, social and cultural rights through concrete actions that involve at least two of its member States.