This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)
International politics is currently experiencing a period of profound upheaval, in which many of the international agreements that have structured relations among global actors over recent decades are being fundamentally challenged. Mechanisms of regional and global governance are losing legitimacy and, in many cases, relevance and institutional coherence. From Brexit to the dismantling of regional organisations such as UNASUR in Latin America, the questioning of multilateralism and of traditional international institutions has reached levels that would have seemed unthinkable in earlier times. The arrival of Donald Trump to power in the United States, alongside the rise of radical right-wing leaders across the globe, intensified criticisms of a system that already exhibited shortcomings, yet had continued to function.
To reflect on global and regional governance at a time when it is being forcefully contested and redefined constitutes a significant intellectual and political challenge. As the old order struggles to fade and the new has yet to fully emerge, the negotiation of both inherited and novel rules, norms, worldviews and values becomes central to imagining the future and discerning the direction in which we are heading. In this context of turbulence, Latin America has acquired renewed relevance, albeit not necessarily by deliberate choice. The region has become a key arena of global contestation, where the rivalry between the United States and China—and, more implicitly, the European Union—manifests itself. Investment, finance, trade, security, and natural resources have become sites of competition for influence within a region that lacks unified or consensual responses. The absence of regional coordination at multiple levels suggests that the very idea of “region” has weakened, paving the way for isolation, the bilateralisation of negotiations, and greater intra-regional fragmentation and competition.
Within this broader landscape, the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence on Regional and Global Governance (JMCERGG) (2025–2028), funded by the European Union, emerges as an academic initiative dedicated to research, teaching, knowledge production and dissemination on regional and global governance in the context of Europe, Latin America and the international system. Particular emphasis is placed on the relations between Argentina, Latin America and the European Union.
The work of the JMCERGG is structured around three core research axes:
- The dynamics, agendas, developmental processes and challenges of regional and global governance in Europe;
- The dynamics, agendas, developmental processes and challenges of regional and global governance in Latin America;
- The dynamics, agendas, developmental processes and challenges of regional and global governance at the global level.
In this framework, the JMCERGG actively fosters dialogue between academia and society, creating spaces for exchange and dissemination of knowledge. The Centre also contributes to global debate through high-level academic publications, the engagement of international experts and practitioners, collaboration with non-governmental organizations, and the provision of postgraduate programs and doctoral courses aimed at fostering a critical and situated understanding of regional and global governance.
Within this framework, the JMCERGG will actively promote dialogue between academia and society, fostering opportunities for knowledge exchange and dissemination. Its activities are directed towards diverse audiences, including undergraduate and postgraduate students, scholars, public officials and policy-makers, civil society actors, media professionals, and the wider public interested in questions of regional and global governance.
Drawing on an academic team of internationally recognised scholars, complemented by visiting lecturers and specialists from various professional fields and disciplinary backgrounds, and supported by an updated work plan and an innovative pedagogical approach tailored to strategically identified audiences, the Centre aspires to become a reference initiative in Latin America. It seeks to enhance the visibility, projection and consolidation of Jean Monnet and European Union studies at both national and international levels.
The JMCERGG team brings together a multidisciplinary group of researchers from the Department of International Relations and related disciplines at FLACSO Argentina, complemented by visiting academics and international specialists. The diversity of trajectories and perspectives within the team enriches intellectual dialogue and fosters a plural approach to the study of regional and global governance.
Collectively, the JMCERGG team will undertake research, teaching and outreach activities aimed at strengthening academic collaboration, generating high-quality knowledge and broadening the scope of contemporary debates. The Centre seeks to contribute to critical discussions on the European Union, Latin America and global governance, consolidating itself as a space for interdisciplinary exchange and knowledge production.
