Abstract

RAMIREZ, Socorro. The Border Integration Zones of the Andean Community: Comparison of their Reaches. Estud. Polit. [online]. 2008, n.32, pp.135-169. ISSN 0121-5167.

As opposed to the demarcating lines marked by landmarks, border zones that involve the territories of two or more countries have been always submitted to continuous and more or less spontaneous reconfigurations, which have not been directly induced or recognized by states, given that they arise from local interactions. From the start of the 21st century, there has been a process of border zone definition, beginning with the politics of the Andean Community on border development and integration. However, its results have been contradictory. Although such definitions contain conceptual advances, they seem not to articulate the debate on the logic of border zones as a means for the integration of neighbors facing globalization and their applications fail to drive cross-border processes. From this perspective, the text analyzes, first, the border question in Andean integration, starting with the examination of local, national and bi-national initiatives, in addition to the definitions of Andean integration on the matter. Next, the article examines the creation process for five Border Integration Zones (ZIF for its acronym in Spanish): Colombia-Equator, Equator-Peru, Colombia-Peru, PeruBolivia, Colombia-Venezuela. Finally, the article establishes a comparative view of these processes which takes into consideration the delimitation of the ZIFs and the actors that participated in the process, the contrast between the extensive Andean goals and criteria, their restrictions for applying them to the defined ZIFs and the obstacles that have complicated the development of the agreed ZIFs. In the conclusion, a more extensive review of the processes analyzed is carried out.

Keywords : Border integration; Andean Community; Andean integration.

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