Abstract

© 2019 Universidad Complutense de Madrid. All rights reserved.The advent of the post-Fordist accumulation regime, of a neo-liberal nature, relativizes Westphalian territorialities and puts the notion of the hard protective limits of nation-states in check. This has led to the emergence of specific forms of “superimposed territorialities” -cross-border urban regions and complexes- that place the formation of border political regimes (BPR) in the foreground, understood as the assembly of institutions, norms, procedures and discursive practices that channel the conflicting interaction of public actors by resources and values in the territorialities of international borders. This article analyzes the situation of the BPR in Latin America based on the way in which the states perceive their borders -suspicious, hostile or invisible- based on the analysis of the available documentary and academic information, as well as the field research developed by the authors in several continental border regions. In particular, the national experiences of Colombia, Dominican Republic and Chile are analyzed and contrasted. The article concludes on the need for post-Westfalian looks that allow the use of cross-border synergies in pursuit of regional development.