Following the so-far successful model of the European Union, a conference of national representatives was held in Brasília on May 23 (incidentally, the anniversary of the Declaration of the Báb) to officially constitute the Union of South American Nations. The Union joins together the previous trade blocs Mercosur - which consisted of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela - and the Andean Community - Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia - each of whose members were already associate members of the other bloc. Guyana and Suriname, which are the only English-speaking and Dutch-speaking countries, respectively, in the new union, are still members of CARICOM, the Caribbean Community - the degree of their participation is apparently still being worked out. Chilean president Michelle Bachelet is the president pro tempore of the Union.
I definitely welcome this latest step towards worldwide political and economic integration. As we've learned from the continuing integration of Europe under the EU, it's still possible for countries that have been enemies for decades or sometimes centuries to overcome their mutual animosity and rivaly and join together to work towards unity and progress. Other such unions have been developing in various parts of the world: the African Union, though at present not at the level of integration represented by the EU, holds promise in ending many of the regional hostilities plaguing Africa; the Arab League has served to bring together the many Arabic-speaking countries; and the Association of South-East Asian Nations has the potential to develop into a regional union in the near future. There have also been proposals for political-economic unions in the Pacific region and in North America, though the latter proposal has not been welcomed in any of the three proposed member states (Mexico, Canada, and the US).
My one concern with the formation of UNASUR (as the Union of South American Nations is abbreviated) is the extent of its commitment towards Indigenous rights. In Bolivia, where Indigenous peoples form 55% of the population, a major movement towards re-indigenization of the national culture and economy has been underway for the past two years; an associated process has also been occurring in Ecuador, where 25% are Indigenous. In Peru, which has a 45% Indigenous population, a similar shift has not yet occurred, perhaps due to the country's more conservative government. Occurring within the newly-formed UNASUR, however, it remains to be seen how these unique events will play out - whether they will receive support from the Union or whether they will be prevented from continuing. It would be a tragedy if the peaceful unification of South America's long-antagonistic countries ended up smothering the political and cultural aspirations of the continent's long-suffering Indigenous peoples.
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That's why we Baha'is call it unity in diversity. The EU is still has a lot of work to do to integrate it's impoverished Roma(Gypsy) population of Eastern and Southern Europe. They have been almost entirely neglected in vision.
Wow, that's a problem I haven't heard about. The Roma are a pretty sizeable minority population, especially in the Mediterranean countries, right? I wonder if that issue has been brought up by any particular countries or bodies in the EU.
The Indigenous-majority countries like Bolivia will have to strike the right balance between the rights of the majority Indigenous ethnic groups (like the Quechuas), minority Indigenous ethnic groups (like the many Amazonian tribes), and the mestizo/criollo peoples descended from European settlers. Everyone's human rights need to be safeguarded, which is easy to lose sight of during these kinds of reform movements.
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