Consolidation of South American nation states based on borders and regional integration

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to offer readers a broad overview of the process of consolidation of South American borders in the light of regional integration, from the beginning of the 16th century to the present day. To this end, we mobilize conceptual elements from the field of history and geopolitics to analyze the main developments and lines of thought used during the construction process of South America. The argument of the article is that the regional dynamics result from the tension (or dialectic) between the (geo)political centers and the border areas, inserting itself in the processes of internal consolidation of the South American nations. As a result, we can affirm the historical resistance, on the part of the nations of the South American continent, in politically deepening the process of regional integration, particularly in light of the experience lived during the global pandemic.