Regionalism: the Stages between Countries and the World

Abstract

Success has been defined as surviving and evolving. Which of the regions considered here seem likely to achieve this, and what do they have in common? This question has two parts: success in doing what the region was designed to do, which may be very limited, and surviving; and success in creating a new economic or political unit, effectively the second part of the definition. The objectives of a region at any stage are evidence, but not sufficient. A region with limited objectives may evolve over time; more extensive immediate objectives may indicate a desire to write a final agreement, and then not expect it to change.