EU as model

Ideologies and anti-U.S. posturing have prevailed instead. Let us recall that the European Union was born of an accord between six states over coal and steel, and revolves around a Franco-German axis. We have nothing of the kind around here.

Advocates are once more heralding regional or continental unity, based this time on the back of a string of "socialist victories" in Latin America. It is as if leftist governments were assumed to be sharing an agenda and conservative governments were non-existent.

The farcical reactions to the impeachment of Peru's president, Pedro Castillo, as parliament foiled his attempted coup, show there is no unity even among left-wing governments. In another sign of our geopolitical aimlessness, the same governments have failed to find a common response to the suppression of the democratic order in Venezuela and Nicaragua.

Lula and AMLO

Meanwhile, there is a glimmer of hope: the Pacific Alliance of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, created on pragmatic principles of trade and cooperation, has proved a success so far, as has its predecessor the Andean Pact. Both emerged with Colombia's active and practical role, and may provide an example to follow.

Luis Inácio Lula da Silva's return to the Brazilian presidency on Jan. 1, with considerably less room to maneuver than before, heralds another tumultuous phase. What relations will he have with Mexico's Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), a president who has suddenly shown a penchant for regional interventions? Will Lula seek to revive the dying Union of South American Nations, an organization he inspired and which was never a good fit for Colombia?

As we approach the bicentenary of the Congress of Panama in June, it is time to forge Latin American integration — and that starts by learning from past errors. It will be a difficult task on a continent that seems averse to the very basics of learning.