The incorporation of substate within the Chilean-Argentinean relation: Committees for integration and meetings of superintendents and governors

Abstract

Twenty-five non-central governments are located on the border between Argentina and Chile (the third longest in the world); however, their participation in the bilateral relationship has not been properly studied. The Argentine provinces and Chilean regions claimed their place by co-opting border committees, created by the States for the coordination of border transit, and transforming them into forums for sub-state integration. Similar was the development of the Reunión Binacional de Intendentes Chilenos y Gobernadores Argentinos de la Frontera Común. In both cases, the non-central governments claimed their participation in the bilateral relationship, to which the States created or adapted existing forums, and crystallized the processes in the 2009 Maipú Treaty. The objective of the article is to analyze which was the path taken for the incorporation of the sub-state dimension into the bilateral relationship, what is its current institutional situation and what challenges it faces. For this, primary and secondary sources are used, highlighting among the former a series of interviews with key informants. The article reveals that the non-central governments of Argentina and Chile generated pressure for their recognition as actors in the bilateral relationship, which was welcomed and institutionalized by the States. However, this crystallization of paradiplomatic activity does not guarantee its continuity or development, since challenges persist, such as shortening of agendas, lack of participation and dependence on national political scenarios.