Assessing multilateral defense policy diffusion in South America: the South American Defense Council unpacked

Abstract

In this chapter, I intend to answer how the South American Defense Council acted towards engaging in policy diffusion processes by applying a policy diffusion framework. I claim that the Council tried to act as a facilitator of these processes most of the time, intensifying interactions among its members, increasing the circulation of information, and building confidence among policy-makers from different countries. In some specific situations, it also tried to formally diffuse policies, setting standards to be adopted by the South American countries, and monitoring the implementation of some measures by its members.