중남미

The year 2006 marked a milestone in the history of the regional integration of Venezuela. After 33 years as a member of CAN, the country withdrew from the integration agreement and joined Mercosur, marking a significant change in regional integration strategy. In this paper, the causes of this change, as well as its economic and political effects, have been analyzed through desk research. One of the main conclusions is that Chavez decided to use regional integration as a tool to address the liberal policies of the United States, regardless of the economic consequences. Another is that, due to the economic and institutional deterioration of Venezuela, the non-oil productive sector is not ready to compete with other members of Mercosur.