CFK, AS SEEN FROM MONTEVIDEO

On why the president should be elected to Parlasur

On a weekend trip to Montevideo, this reporter was surprised to find an unlikely supporter for President Cristina Kirchner’s bid to claim a seat in the Mercosur Parliament. It was in the form of a friend with close ties to Uruguay’s new President-elect Tabaré Vázquez, who is no fan of his boss’ Argentine counterpart, but would like to see her taking the helm of South America’s regional bloc nonetheless.

Political gossip exchange is a two way street, and with the aid of a generous amount of Uruguay’s wonderful Tannat red wine, I asked my friend, a member of the Broad Front, to put the argument to me, in exchange for enduring a grilling on 2015 from his side of the table.

My interlocutor listened carefully as I first explained the mounting controversy here over the president’s possible Mercosur candidacy. He immediately made his opinion clear: the clamourous Argentine opposition has got it wrong. Contrary to what they say, it would be ideal to see Cristina in that institution.

Let it be known, this softly-spoken Uruguayan is an expert on European Union theory and practice. So he knows how regional bodies work. Although he is no pro-Washington fanatic, he is convinced that Uruguay would be much better off closer to the US, even if that means being further from Mercosur. But he knows the inevitable political tensions that would arise between Uruguay and its two most powerful neighbours, Argentina and Brazil, would be untenable for Montevideo. Thus Mercosur remains the only available option.

But the regional body is in desperate need of a revival — and the current Argentine president could be the person to make this happen, he says.

There are many items on the agenda of a potential renewal. First, there is the fact that Mercosur lacks a full-time leader with strong political clout. The three different agencies which are supposed to lead Mercosur are headed by ministers, or deputy ministers, from the member countries. They are not full-time officers and the Mercosur does not seem to be their main priority, with individual domestic concerns more pressing. By contrast, the first manifestation of what is today known as the European Union — the European Coal and Steel Community — was by led by the French political operator Jean Monnet. True, he was not an elected politician in the traditional sense. But Monnet had cooperated with French, British and US leaders during the two World Wars, as well as the interwar period, to forge the basic elements of a long-term regional integration project. In 1919, France’s Georges Clemenceau and Great Britain’s Arthur Balfour appointed him deputy secretary-general of the League of Nations.

My friend remarks that Monnet had a lifelong commitment to the economics of peace, as well as a forceful and principled personality. So forceful that he ultimately resigned his position in the League of Nations in 1923, frustrated by the organization’s lack of effectiveness. He adds that credit for getting the European unity process in motion also goes to committed politicians such as Italian statesman Alcide De Gasperi, West Germany’s Konrad Adenauer and France’s Robert Schuman. He reminds me that each time the EU has appeared to be sinking to the doldrums of paralysis, it has been under the unfortunate stewardship of less capable European officials who lacked the clout to make things work.

Possibly the strongest complaint that the Uruguayans have against Argentina these days is protectionism. My interlocutor agrees with Vásquez that although “legitimate,” trade protectionism does his country no favours. He also points out that what may be negligible losses for Argentina translate into big deals for Uruguay. So, Argentina could perhaps be more selective over its protectionism. But to make that happen, some permanent and efficient mechanisms should be in place first. He is not alone in this view: only yesterday, this newspaper made the same point in its editorial.

It is always interesting to challenge an expert. So I pointed out that it took 27 years to get from that original European Coal and Steel Community to the first direct elections for a European Parliament. Even back in 1952, the original organization was better structured than today’s Mercosur. Not to mention the fact that, to this day, the European Parliament is not as powerful as the European Council and Commission. The Parlasur is unlikely to be operational any time in the near future, and its powers will be more than limited once it is finally here.

With a cheeky smile, my friend explains that the beauty of Cristina Kirchner being elected to Parlasur is not the additional status that she will accrue — even though this is something she will no doubt enjoy wholeheartedly. It’s that the position will truly afford her the necessary credentials to push things forward.

In his view, she has several things working in her favour. First, there is her current high-profile which, by the way, she obviously enjoys. Then there is her strong political ambition and equally strong will to make her own mark on history. She seems to have a strong commitment to South American unity, I’m told, coupled with (or perhaps triggered by) a certain rejection of the “powers that be” — by which he means the EU and the US. And then there is her personality, which can rub people the wrong way, but can get things done.

She is authoritative (possibly authoritarian?) and wants things done without too much regard for any institutional intricacies that may arise. She would be able to use both her credentials and her personality to shake Mercosur out of its inertia and cut through regional red tape. Some of the institution’s mechanisms are quite basic, but they could be used to breathe new life into Mercosur. And to do this, says the expert, you have to kick some ass. This does not necessarily require a seat in the still non-existent Parlasur, but rather access to a platform from which to do a bit of targeted screaming and look irate every now and then. And judging by her TV performances, she is still very good at that.

@andresfederman

CRADITS: BUENOS AIRES HERALD