UNASUR: regional integration initiative, post-liberal or counter-hegemonic regionalism institution, concertación or coordination of common interests? (conceptual discussions about a process under construction)

As a relatively new, unprecedented process, which reunites all the South-American countries and developing unique institutional arrangements, it remains a complex conceptual debate about what is UNASUR, what its problems and prospects. The aim of this paper is to discuss the recent literature on theoretical concepts elaborated by several experts for defining the configuration of UNASUR, the process of its creation and development, and the complexities and challenges facing this process, within the panorama of regionalism, integration and political cooperation in South America.