COLOMBIA FRENTE A LA INTEGRACIÓN REGIONAL EN AMÉRICA LATINA: ENTRE LA INICIATIVA DE LIDERAZGO Y LA PRELACIÓN HACIA ESTADOS UNIDOS

While much has been written about Colombia’s alternation between two foreign policy directives—res-pice polum and respice similia—studies are scarce that analyze these directives in relation to the country’s actions towards different regional integration processes and projects in Latin America. This article offers a relevant contribution to filling this gap through a longitudinal view of Colombia’s actions in such projects. It shows that though precedence to the United States predominated in several moments, the country has also demonstrated initiative to lead processes aiming to strengthen regional integration and cooperation.