Centre for Regional Integration

👉 First Devonomics of 2026: the rules of market access are changing. In tech-sensitive sectors, “compliance” is no longer a back-office function. It’s moving upstream into ownership structures, documentation systems, audit response capacity, and governance design.

This edition connects 3️⃣ signals:
1. U.S. investment screening and critical-tech securitization (CFIUS)
2. ASEAN’s shifting burden of regional credibility (Philippines chair)
3. Development bank accountability upgrades (AIIB)

The new premium is proving responsibility and passing security tests.

Great work by our Development Finance Fellow Siana Kazi 💪

Read here:

Devonomics Weekly: Global Governance Focus (Dec 29 2025-Jan 4, 2026) Welcome to Devonomics, a CRI newsletter. Each week we round up the most relevant news in Asia’s development finance and add a short take on what they ...

Starting 2026 with a new release from our flagship podcast, New Regional Orders! 🎙️ 🚀

In Episode 5, Dr. Humberto Zuniga Schroder (Universidad del Pacífico, Lima) draws on his practical experience in the Andean Community (CAN) General Secretariat to unpack what regional integration looks like from inside a regional organization. The discussion covers CAN’s resilience, the limits of the Andean Parliament, and how EU legal templates have been adapted in the Andes, and the persistent barriers to CAN–MERCOSUR convergence. The episode closes on the World Trade Organization - WTO dispute-settlement crisis, and on how renewed U.S. trade assertiveness and China’s expanding economic footprint are reshaping Latin America’s external options.

Dr. Zuñiga Schroder is Dean of the School of Law at Universidad del Pacífico (Lima, Perú) and Former Head of Legal Affairs at Comunidad Andina (CAN). He is also qualified lawyer in Australia and has authored numerous publications such as the book Harmonization, Equivalence and Mutual Recognition of Standards in WTO Law.

Great output from our Founding Director Ivo Ganchev's visit to Lima 🦙

🎧 Listen to the episode on your favorite podcasting platform.
📺 Or watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDX0KW-mQV4

The Andean Community (CAN) & Trade Law | Dr. Humberto Zuñiga Schroder | E05 | New Regional Orders In the fifth episode of New Regional Orders, Dr. Ivo Ganchev speaks with Dr. Humberto Ángel Zuñiga Schroder (Universidad del Pacífico) about:• What it’s real...

🌎 New Episode Out Now: Mexico’s Strategic Dilemmas & Mesoamerican Integration

🇲🇽🌿 How does Mexico navigate its complex identity between North America, Latin America, and the Global South? And what sets Mesoamerican regionalism apart?

In Episode 2 of New Regional Orders, Dr. Ivo Ganchev speaks with Dr. Alina Gamboa (Universidad Anáhuac) to explore:

🔹 The evolution from Plan Puebla Panama to Proyecto Mesoamérica
🔹 Overlapping initiatives like SICA and the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor
🔹 Mexico’s shifting geopolitical identity
🔹 The impact of U.S. tariffs and Trump-era policies
🔹 How creative teaching methods can deepen understanding of international politics

🎧 New Regional Orders is the official podcast of the Centre for Regional Integration, hosted by Ivo Ganchev, PhD. Each season examines a different world region, unpacking the forces shaping today’s regional orders.

📺 Start watching / listening and subscribe on:
➡️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYAyx_cHCcc
➡️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/new-regional-orders/id1811821932
➡️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3In2H2ExEMuaB895HtDbZW
➡️ Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/dc018d6e-3c32-4951-a14b-e17d4c8f3dae/new-regional-orders
➡️ RSS: https://media.rss.com/newregionalorders/feed.xml

🔗 Learn more: www.regionalintegration.org



🔜 Episode 3 – Coming soon... Stay tuned!

Mexico’s Strategic Dilemmas & Mesoamerican Integration | Dr. Alina Combs | E02 | New Regional Orders In the second episode of New Regional Orders, Dr. Ivo Ganchev speaks with Dr. Alina Gamboa Combs (Universidad Anáhuac) about:• Regional integration in Mesoam...

🌎🎧 Season 1 of New Regional Orders is just getting started!
After launching with a powerful Episode 1, we’re thrilled to share a sneak peek of the next expert conversations coming your way.

Join our Founding Director, Ivo Ganchev, PhD as he sits down with leading voices from across the Americas — including high-level negotiators and influential academics — for in-depth conversations on:

🇲🇽 Mexico’s evolving role in regional diplomacy
🇨🇦 North American cooperation in a shifting global order
🇵🇪 Peru’s legal and institutional perspectives on integration
🇧🇷 The influence of geography on Brazil’s foreign policy
🌎 Latin American regionalism: OAS, Comunidad Andina & beyond

📺 Watch the full Season 1 unfold — only on New Regional Orders, the global podcast series from the Centre for Regional Integration.

🔗 Catch up now: https://regionalintegration.org/podcast/
📍Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts & more.

🎧 New Podcast Alert!
🌍 Regional dynamics. Global impact.

We’re proud launch New Regional Orders — the official podcast of the Centre for Regional Integration, hosted by our Founding Director, Dr. Ivo Ganchev!

Each season, we dive into how regional politics, economies, and institutions are reshaping the world order — with insights from top scholars and seasoned practitioners.

🔎 Season 1: The Americas
From U.S. influence to Latin American agency, we unpack the real drivers of regional change.

🎙️ Episode 1 – Out Now!
Prof. Tom Long (University of Warwick) talks to Dr. Ivo Ganchev about:
➡️ U.S. power in Latin America
➡️ The rise of small states
➡️ Regional organizations in flux

🔜 Episode 2 – Coming Soon...
with Dr. Alina Gamboa Combs (Facultad de Estudios Globales - Anáhuac Universidad) on Mexico’s role in regional integration and Mesoamerica.

👇 Start watching / listening and subscribe on:
➡️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAhmS1bWSyM
➡️ Bilibili: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV13XGBzyE6M/?spm_id_from=333.1387.homepage.video_card.click&vd_source=5aad3a8b69e838c17d99fd6aafcfa1e4
➡️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/new-regional-orders/id1811821932
➡️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3In2H2ExEMuaB895HtDbZW
➡️ Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/dc018d6e-3c32-4951-a14b-e17d4c8f3dae/new-regional-orders
➡️ RSS: https://media.rss.com/newregionalorders/feed.xml
🌐 Learn more on the official website of the Centre for Regional Integration: https://regionalintegration.org

For information about the host and their guest on the pilot episode, visit:
🎯 Dr. Ivo Ganchev's website: https://ivoganchev.com/
🎯 Prof. Tom Long's website: https://tomlongphd.com/

Prof. Tom Long on Small States & U.S. Power in Latin America | Episode #01 | New Regional Orders In the first episode of New Regional Orders, Dr. Ivo Ganchev speaks with Prof. Tom Long (University of Warwick) about: • The strategic role of small states i...

📢 New Article Alert!

The Centre for Regional Integration is excited to share our latest publication: Asynchronous Regional Integration in Central Africa: Progress and Challenges, written by Fernand Guevara Mekongo Mballa, Africa Fellow at the Centre and Doctoral Candidate at the Catholic University of Central Africa.

In this insightful piece, Mballa examines the complex journey of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) towards deeper integration. Despite significant infrastructure projects and cooperative ventures between countries like Cameroon and Congo, challenges such as governance issues, security concerns, and demographic disparities continue to slow progress.

The paper draws comparisons with the European Union and discusses how effective governance, political will, and sustained commitment can help overcome these hurdles. Key topics include economic cooperation, infrastructure development, and the impact of external actors in maintaining security within the region.

🔗 Read the full article here: http://regionalintegration.org/publication/asynchronous-regional-integration-in-central-africa-progress-and-challenges/

Join the conversation on regional integration in Central Africa!

🔔 New Article by Ivo Ganchev - China and the BRI Ten Years On 🔔

We’re excited to share a new publication from Dr. Ivo Ganchev, Founding Director of the Centre for Regional Integration where he analyzes the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) a decade after its launch. This article provides a detailed examination of how the BRI has evolved into a key strategic framework, now operating in tandem with China’s Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI), and Global Civilization Initiative (GCI).

Dr. Ganchev dives into the geopolitical implications of the BRI comparing its role to that of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and discusses the initiative’s economic impact, including concerns around debt sustainability and transparency. The piece offers valuable insights into the changing dynamics of multipolarity and China’s expanding role in global governance.

📚 Read the full article here: http://regionalintegration.org/publication/china-and-the-bri-ten-years-on-geopolitics-and-development/

China and the BRI Ten Years on: Geopolitics and Development In this article, Dr. Ivo Ganchev builds on his interview with Martin Zubko on the IR thinker podcast, exploring the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) a decade after its launch within the wider context of China’s growing global ambitions. Initially launched as China’s flagship infrastructure project...

Delighted to announce the publication of our new edited book, Lessons from Regional Responses to Security, Health and Environmental Challenges in Latin America (Vernon PRESS, 2024)!

What is the role of regional organizations in maintaining security across different parts of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)? How did COVID-19 impact states in the region and what types of collective action have helped respond to public health emergencies? In what way is LAC environmental policy formulated and what broader lessons can be drawn for the Global South? This edited volume addresses these questions, revealing the reasons behind the successes and failures of LAC regional responses to collective challenges as well as their limitations and potential for future improvement. It contains 11 chapters, authored by 16 authoritative academics who employ methodologically-diverse perspectives. Each chapter provides insights that would be of interest to scholars, students and policy-makers working on the regional governance of LAC and the Global South. The contributions are thematically organised in three parts and produced with pragmatic considerations in mind, discussing existing and potential real solutions to pressing issues.

The book has received a warm welcome from the academic community. Prof. José Antonio Sanahuja (Complutense University, Spain), a central figure in the study of regionalism, has praised “the excellent and innovative set of studies in the book [which] sheds light on [regionalism] and serves as an important contribution to the literature”. Another leading authority in this field, Prof. Roberto Domínguez (Suffolk University, USA), predicts that this volume “will become an essential reading for analyzing Latin American regionalism”. Similarly, Dr. Devika Misra ( O.P. Jindal Global University, India), Dr. Arkadiy Eremin (Webster University) and Dr. Melisa Deciancio (FLASCO, Argentina), have spoken highly of the book and offered ample praise. On behalf of all the contributors, we would like to thank them for recognizing our efforts and helping us to reach a broader audience!

This project was made possible with the support of numerous institutions and individuals which are too many to list here. Our Founding Director and Editor of the book, Dr. Ivo Ganchev, would like to mention some of them in particular; first, he would like to express his appreciation for the trust that Vernon PRESS put in him to conceptualize and execute this project, as well as for the full creative freedom that they allowed him at all stages of the preparation process. Second, he would like to thank his team at the Centre for Regional Integration for the continuous support they provided to alleviate the burden of completing administrative tasks. And finally, he would like to express his sincere gratitude for all 16 contributors, without whom this project would not be possible. If you are focused on exploring Latin American politics, make sure to follow these world-leading experts, who are the true heroes behind this book project: Kseniya Konovalova and Victor Jeifets (Saint Petersburg State University), Rafael A. Duarte Villa and Camila de Macedo Braga (UNIVERSIDAD DE SAO PAOLO), Rafael Enrique Piñeros Ayala (Universidad Externado De Colombia University of Colombia), Miguel Gomis (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana), Octavio M. González Segovia, (Universidad Alberto Hurtado), Alfonso Sánchez Mugica (UNAM Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Daniel Morales Ruvalcaba (Sun Yat-sen University), Ignacio Medina Núñez (El Colegio de Jalisco), Alla Yurievna Borzova (Peoples' Friendship University of Russia), Tatiana de Souza Leite Garcia ( UNIVERSIDAD DE SAO PAOLO and Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)), Alina Gamboa Combs and Dircea Arroyo Buganza (Universidad Anáhuac Mayab) as well as Fernand Guevara Mekongo Mballa (Centre for Regional Integration and L'Université catholique de l'Afrique centrale).

Our book is available globally through hundreds of bookstores, as well as online on websites such as:
Vernon Press: https://vernonpress.com/book/1853
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Regional-Responses-Security-Environmental-Challenges/dp/1648897738/

The introduction can be freely downloaded online from:
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377600343_Lessons_from_Regional_Responses_to_Security_Health_and_Environmental_Challenges_in_Latin_America
Academia.edu: https://www.academia.edu/113918186/Edited_Book_2024_Latin_American_Responses_to_Security_Health_and_Environmental_Regional_Challenges_Vernon_Press_edited_by_Dr_Ivo_Ganchev_

Happy reading!