From regional security to political vacuum a study of the ten years of the South American Defense Council

Abstract

From the perspective of regional and geopolitical security, the construction of defense mechanisms is essential for the sovereignty of any country in the international system. The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and the South American Defense Council (CDS) are innovative political practices that have sought to increase the autonomy and security of the South American countries in international relations. Therefore, the present article seeks to conduct a study on the advances and setbacks of the South American Defense Council in its initial ten years (2008-2018). Based on the concepts of Regional Security Complexes and Security Community, and using a bibliographical and documentary research, it has been tried to demonstrate that the first years of intense activities and projects were mitigated by the political-institutional vacuum, mainly due to the Brazilian crisis. Thus, it is concluded the importance of Brazil's leadership in defense issues in South America, whose negative scenario, in principle, makes it difficult to promote a South American identity and the construction of a Security Community.