By: Staff Writer
August 14, 2026
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in a new report said that the Latin American and Caribbean region has assets at its disposal to assist with navigating through the global transformations while remaining on target on their development gains.
The report, “Ruptures and opportunities: proposals for Latin America and the Caribbean to thrive in the new geopolitical era,” outlines eight ruptures in the world order and how they should be dealt with by the region.
“Based on these eight ruptures, the Commission has identified four plausible scenarios for the future evolution of the international order. These scenarios are analytical typologies rather than exclusive alternatives, and they may overlap and coexist unevenly, giving rise to a hybrid, unstable order marked by pronounced asymmetries.”
The report continued: “The transformations occurring in the international order are redefining the region’s margins of action for development and global engagement. Understanding these shifts is essential in order for Latin American and Caribbean countries to respond effectively to the challenges they pose and to take advantage of the opportunities they create.”
The Commission, co-chaired by former President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet and former President of Colombia, Iván Duque, brings together 13 distinguished figures from Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, Africa, Asia and Europe, who participated in their personal capacities and on an ad honorem basis. The Commission’s work was undertaken with the support of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
The report’s central message is that the world has changed and that Latin America and the Caribbean has the assets needed to navigate this new geopolitical era successfully. The Commission identified eight ruptures that are reshaping the global order and are unfolding simultaneously:
- Globalization reconfigured: from economic efficiency to security. Economic interdependence, once celebrated and viewed as a source of stability and efficiency, is increasingly viewed as a source of vulnerability and is being used as an instrument of power and coercion.
- The erosion of multilateralism and the reconfiguration of global governance. The post-war multilateral system is weakening, and what is emerging is a more fragmented form of governance, characterized by selective alliances and competing platforms.
- From unipolar hegemony to multipolar competition. The world is transitioning from a unipolar system dominated by the United States to one of asymmetric multipolar competition.
- Soft power reconfigured. Soft power is becoming increasingly important as a component of States’ global presence. The soft power of the United States is declining, while that of China is on the rise.
- Global decline of democracy and rising political polarization. The erosion of democracy is accompanied by growing political polarization worldwide. The proportion of countries classified as liberal democracies is declining.
- Disinformation and the crisis of truth in the age of AI. Disinformation, algorithmic manipulation and the malicious use of artificial intelligence are undermining trust in institutions, fuelling polarization and weakening democratic legitimacy.
- Backlash against women’s rights, gender equality and inclusion. Advances achieved in these areas over recent decades are facing growing contestation and, in some contexts, reversal.
- End of the global climate consensus. Climate action is increasingly being subordinated to national industrial strategies, energy security concerns and geopolitical competition. In some sectors, the scientific consensus is being questioned.
Against this backdrop, the Commission maintains that the region has a set of assets whose strategic value has increased in the current geopolitical context. These include its abundant natural resource endowments; its productive, human and financial capabilities; the size of its market; its status as a region free of nuclear weapons and inter-State wars; and its intangible assets (soft power). These assets provide the region with a significant opportunity to advance its development and enhance its international presence and influence.