Mercosur at 30: political ideologies and (de)legitimation strategies.

The article examines the legitimation strategies employed by presidents of Mercosur member states and regional bureaucrats to sustain the organization's legitimacy amid crises at three critical moments: the 1999 Brazilian currency devaluation, Venezuela’s accession in 2012, and the 2021 proposal to "flexibilize" Mercosur’s trade rules. It argues that these strategies are primarily shaped by the political ideologies of the agents involved, notably neo-liberalism and social democracy, while more radical ideologies like twenty-first-century socialism and far-right conservatism have limited influence at the regional level. The analysis highlights Mercosur’s institutional weakness, with limited bureaucratic capacity and heavy reliance on national presidents, making the organization vulnerable to domestic political cycles and challenges to democratic governance. The findings contribute to understanding how political ideologies inform discursive legitimation in regional organizations and underscore the policy implications of Mercosur’s dependence on member states for its legitimacy.