Rules for the Regional Club: Comparing Post-Accession Rule of Law and Democracy Crisis in Europe and Latin America

Regional organizations across the globe establish rules and criteria that must be satisfied for accession of member states. These regional rules of membership are commitments to shared values such as human rights, rule of law, democracy and free market and can be enhanced by protocols and treaty amendments and have been a key factor legitimating regional cooperation. This paper compares the challenges of enforcing these rules after accession of member states by looking at how deviant cases are addressed in European and Latin American regional system of governance. It is argued that while criteria for membership have constituted successful tools to promote democracy, rule of law and human rights in regional settings, it has been far more challenging to uphold the same principles over time in the face domestic changes going against established rules. The paper zooms in the cases of Venezuela in Latin America (Unasur, Mercosur, Alba) as well Hungary and Poland in Europe (European Union, NATO, Council of Europe) from a comparative perspective.