The Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) held a debate at its headquarters in Madrid on the future of international cooperation. The Secretary General, Mariano Jabonero, warned of an 'exhaustion of the international order' and an 'institutional bankruptcy race.'
The Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) held a debate last Tuesday at its headquarters in Madrid on the future of international cooperation in a context of polarization and geopolitical tensions. The meeting, moderated by Tahina Ojeda, a professor at the Complutense University of Madrid, brought together experts to rethink regional alliances.
The Secretary General of the OEI, Mariano Jabonero, opened the day with a blunt diagnosis: "we are experiencing an exhaustion of the international order," forged over a century ago. Quoting António Guterres, Jabonero pointed out that "we are in a race towards bankruptcy [institutional]," caused by a loss of legitimacy, effectiveness, and financial resources.
The system is suffering harassment and wear due to extreme polarization, citizen distrust, and emerging populism," Jabonero stated.
In the face of rhetorical stagnation, the OEI advocates prioritizing practical consensus. Jabonero called for abandoning "the melancholy of old Bolivarian epics" to focus on tangible projects such as scholarships, academic mobility, or degree recognition. He emphasized that the nineteen national offices of the organization execute around 650 projects per year.
The strategic analysis was provided by Carlos Malamud, senior researcher at the Elcano Royal Institute, who warned that the trade confrontation between the United States and China is impacting "directly" on Latin America, conditioning its financial stability and alliances. Malamud cautioned that if the West does not act, China's influence could multiply in the region in the coming years.
Despite the complex scenario, the debate identified priority areas for collaboration: education, disaster response, and pandemic prevention. Malamud argued that these "important agendas" can progress above the ideological biases of governments.
You may also like
