Bringing together, in a common and single space, a continent characterized
by great diversity and significant asymmetries, is not an easy task.
The Americas are still composed of different spaces, countries, cultures
and societies not yet sharing a common sense of destiny. But if there
is no single "America", a new regionalism has emerged and represents
a roadmap to a new governance framework implying the deepening of
liberal economic and institutional reforms. Resistance and obstacles
remain numerous and perhaps the biggest challenge is to address the complex
issues related to North-South integration within the hemisphere and
to the hegemonic position of the United States. If the process of "Building
the Americas" can be depicted as an attempt to define governance in an
era of market-led integration, the paradox is that its eventual success
depends on its capacity to transcend the immediate commercial and trade
orientations and to create a true Community of Democracies. In other
words, in order to succeed, the process of "Building the Americas" must
now go beyond market-led integration, beyond US hegemonic governance,
and, foremost, it must recognize and embrace the diversity of cultures,
values and identities in the hemisphere.
