An evaluation of Argentine, Brazilian and Chilean cooperation on security policies over the last decade demonstrates that high levels of trust have been sustained. This article proposes a heuristic model for the analysis of cooperation between states on matters of security policy. The model that is suggested is based on three levels of analysis that condition the security policies of the countries under consideration: 1) State and society; 2) inter-state relations and 3) international systems. Next, it is argued that common rules shared by different countries are more easily established when this involves small groups of states at a regional level, and not at a world scale, in which it is much more difficult to achieve unanimous or consensual acceptance of rules. Following a macro-theoretical debate on states' motivation to cooperate in an international system, the author introduces Karl W. Deutsch's concept of "security community" and questions whether such a community can be found in southern Latin America. The heuristic model that is introduced should permit answering the questions posed and determine the phase of integration.
Argentina; Brazil; Chile; regional cooperation; security policy; security community
