Bringing together, in a common and single space, a continent characterized

by great diversity and significant asymmetries, is not an easy task.

The Americas are still composed of different spaces, countries, cultures

and societies not yet sharing a common sense of destiny. But if there

is no single "America", a new regionalism has emerged and represents

a roadmap to a new governance framework implying the deepening of

liberal economic and institutional reforms. Resistance and obstacles

remain numerous and perhaps the biggest challenge is to address the complex

issues related to North-South integration within the hemisphere and

to the hegemonic position of the United States. If the process of "Building

the Americas" can be depicted as an attempt to define governance in an

era of market-led integration, the paradox is that its eventual success

depends on its capacity to transcend the immediate commercial and trade

orientations and to create a true Community of Democracies. In other

words, in order to succeed, the process of "Building the Americas" must

now go beyond market-led integration, beyond US hegemonic governance,

and, foremost, it must recognize and embrace the diversity of cultures,

values and identities in the hemisphere.