Colombia and the Challenges for South American Integration

In this article the authors analyze the first two years of Santos government in Colombia, focusing on its domestic policies, as well as the impacts of its foreign policy over the regional security and the South America’s integration process. Special attention was given to the bilateral relations between Colombia and Brazil. The main conclusion states that the Santos’s foreign policy reorientation lacks consistency. The Colombian normalization of diplomatic and commercial ties with Venezuela and Ecuador is definitely positive for the region, likewise its acceptance and engagement with the UNASUR. However, there are clear limits for the Colombia rapprochement with Brazil, expressed by the signature of a Free Trade Agreement between Colombia and United States, as well as by the Colombian efforts to set up the Pacific Area initiative with Chile and Mexico.