Venezuela, ALBA, and the Limits of Postneoliberal Regionalism in Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors: Cusack, Asa
Free Preview- Enriches understanding of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) in South America, discussing its function and impact
- Includes case studies that illustrate the difficulties which ALBA projects have faced
- Highlights the uncertain future of ALBA
Buy this book
- About this book
-
This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the implementation, functioning, and impact of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), cornerstone of Venezuelan foreign policy and standard-bearer of “postneoliberal” regionalism during the “Left Turn” in Latin America and the Caribbean (1998-2016). It reveals that cooperation via ALBA’s regionalised social missions, state multinationals, development bank, People’s Trade Agreement, SUCRE virtual currency, and Petrocaribe soft-loan scheme has often been hampered by complexity and conflict between the national political economies of Ecuador, Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, and especially Venezuela. Shared commitments to endogenous development, autonomy within mutlipolarity, and novel sources of legitimacy are undermined by serious deficiencies in control and accountability, which stem largely from the defining influence of Venezuela’s dysfunctional economy and governance. This dual dependency on Venezuela leaves the future of ALBA hanging in the balance.
- About the authors
-
Asa K. Cusack (Latin America and Caribbean Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK) received his PhD in Latin American and Caribbean political economy from the University of Sheffield, UK, and has held research positions at University College London and the Institute of Latin American Studies.
- Reviews
-
“Taking issue with a literature naively stressing the promise of ‘post-neoliberal regionalism,’ the author offers in this book a thorough examination of ALBA’s shortcomings, based on remarkable field research that focuses on implementation rather than intentions. Without a doubt the best scholarly work on ALBA.” (Olivier Dabène, Sciences Po, Paris, France, author of The Politics of Regional Integration in Latin America)
“A compelling and engaging contribution on the ambitions and limitations of the ALBA postneoliberal project in Latin America and the Caribbean in the 2000s. With cogent analysis of sovereign priorities and a forensic embrace of technical detail, Cusack has crafted a measured, insightful, and valuable addition to scholarship on this dramatic, dynamic, and contentious period in LAC and wider hemispheric relations.” (Julia Buxton, Professor of Comparative Politics, Central European University, Budapest, author of The Failure of Political Reform in Venezuela)
- Table of contents (7 chapters)
-
-
Approaching Venezuela, ALBA, and Postneoliberalism
Pages 1-25
-
Getting to Grips with ALBA’s Brand Governance
Pages 27-56
-
The National Roots of ALBA
Pages 57-92
-
The People’s Trade Agreement (TCP)
Pages 93-117
-
The Unified Regional Compensation System (SUCRE)
Pages 119-152
-
Table of contents (7 chapters)
Buy this book
Services for this book

Bibliographic Information
- Bibliographic Information
-
- Book Title
- Venezuela, ALBA, and the Limits of Postneoliberal Regionalism in Latin America and the Caribbean
- Authors
-
- Asa Cusack
- Series Title
- Studies of the Americas
- Copyright
- 2019
- Publisher
- Palgrave Macmillan US
- Copyright Holder
- The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s)
- eBook ISBN
- 978-1-349-95003-4
- DOI
- 10.1057/978-1-349-95003-4
- Hardcover ISBN
- 978-1-349-95002-7
- Edition Number
- 1
- Number of Pages
- XIII, 218
- Number of Illustrations
- 1 b/w illustrations, 5 illustrations in colour
- Topics