Developmental Affinities in Regional Integration

Regional integration has become one of the dominant contemporary trends in the international system, as agreements spring up and flourish the world over. The European Union (EU) is the most advanced and successful case and has served as the inspiration for other schemes in the Americas (NAFTA, Mercosur, CARICOM among others), Africa, Asia and Oceania. The fact that the EU today is a magnet for most of the countries of East and Central Europe is testimony to its strength and durability. Regional integration agreements range in scope from modest treaties granting preferential trade access to highly ambitious plans for economic and political integration. Usually, however, the motivation for two or more nations to embark on this sort of experiment includes non-economic factors.