Argentina and the Pacific Alliance: risks and opportunities within a new geopolitical context

Abstract

In recent years, since the emergence of the Pacific Alliance and the subsequent division of the cartography of regionalism as a dispute between an Atlantic and a Pacific axis, it has been under discussion the old dilemma about the international insertion of countries: the pursuit of free trade agreements vis-à-vis the strengthening of the internal market with regional projection. This is the case of Argentina since Mauricio Macri came to office, who seeks the country's accession to the Pacific Alliance. Therefore, this paper analyses b the formal-legal and economic possibilities of a possible entry of Argentina to the Pacific Alliance. First: is it possible for a country to have full membership in these two integration schemes? Second: what is the benefit that Argentina would gain from joining this Alliance? We proceed with a comparative exercise so as to unravel up to what extent and which (economic) sectors do benefit from the Pacific Alliance agreement, so as to foresee what might happen in the case of Argentina.