Cross-border cooperation as a tool of regional integration: a cross analysis of two regions in the global South (Central American, West Africa)

Abstract

The article focuses on the place of cross-border cooperation in the construction of regionalintegrations, by crossing the analysis of two regions in the global South which have largelyinspired the European model: the Central American Integration System (SICA in Spanish) and awhole formed by the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA in French) and theEconomic Community of West African States (ECOWAS, CEDEAO in French). It’s about questioningthe political and territorial issues of regional integration processes by focusing on what ishappening on their internal borders, regional integration having the objective of removing the barriers related to their presence. The authors analyze how cross-border cooperation processeshave been promoted as regional integration tools in each of the two groups studied. Then, thecomparison allows to identify common obstacles and barriers, but also to highlight a movetowards differentiated cross-border cooperation and integration models.