Death of Kirchner changes scenario in South America

The sudden death of Nestor Kirchner, the ex-president of Argentina and husband of Cristina Kirchner who is now president, has raised questions regarding the future of both Argentina and South America, especially the Union of South American Nations (Unasur). This organization was created in 2004 by twelve South American nations [and is seen by some as an attempt to resolve local issues and establish positions on international problems without interference by the United States] Kirchner became the secretary general of Unasur on May 4, this year and since then had been working on building a solid foundation for the organization. Among the issues he was dealing with was a definition of where the Unasur headquarters would be located. Critics claimed Kirchner was spread too thin – being the leader of the Partido Justicialista (political party) and a federal deputy in Argentina, along with the Unasur position. They accused him of padding his curriculum vitae without doing the necessary work.

However, on September 30, Kirchner showed skill and determination when it looked like a protest by police officers in Ecuador might have been an attempted coup. Kirchner rallied South American presidents and foreign ministers in a demonstration of “absolute solidarity” with the elected president, Rafael Correa, and issued a strong warning: “…under no circumstances will South America tolerate democratically elected governments being pressured and threatened by sectors that want to protect privileges.” He quickly brought Unasur foreign ministers together in Buenos Aires and they drew up a document stating that in the future Unasur could lead an economic blockade of any member state where the constitutional order was overthrown.
With the death of Kirchner, Unasur will be forced to restart. First, a new secretary general has to be chosen.