15/09/2026

From the Atlantic to the Pacific: Argentina Risks Missing a Historic Opportunity

Latin America is a vast territory, with exuberant vegetation, dense forests, untamed jungles, turbulent rivers, and majestic mountains. Conquered by Europeans, its first gaze was directed toward the mother countries. The colony–metropolis relationship was shaken by the independence movements, yet its remnants endured for a long time, while the rebellious spirit of its intellectual classes initially took on European characteristics, often influenced by France or Britain. In any event, the epic campaigns of the great liberators, San Martín and Bolívar, provided the first inward-looking recognition of the importance of regional integration across our continent.

It took considerable time, but gradually we began to understand the importance of looking within our own region. Mercosur was one of the most significant steps taken toward strengthening our cultural, economic, and commercial ties. We understood that the emergence of major global business blocs required the creation of a strong Latin American market if we were to survive.

This revealed the need to expand every kind of transport and communications infrastructure in order to consolidate genuine integration—real integration, not merely rhetorical.

The Capricorn Bioceanic Corridor is one such initiative, and perhaps the one that has made the greatest tangible progress to date.

The aim is to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, linking the Port of Santos in Brazil with the ports of Antofagasta, Mejillones, Tocopilla, and Iquique in Chile. This would promote regional trade, strengthen cultural exchange among our peoples, and facilitate the sale of our export products to the Indian and Chinese markets in less time—approximately fifteen days less—and with a 30% reduction in operating costs.

What began as a dream shared by four Latin American countries—Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Chile—is now beginning to become a reality.

On July 16, with binational funding obtained from the revenues generated by the Itaipú Dam, Brazil and Paraguay completed and inaugurated the bridge connecting Porto Murtinho, on the far reaches of Mato Grosso in the “Greater Pantanal” region, with the town of Carmelo Peralta, 716 kilometres from Asunción, in the heart of the “Chaco Pantanal.” At the same time, Brazil is upgrading its domestic roads, while Paraguay is moving rapidly ahead with paving the routes across its territory as far as Pozo Hondo, on the border with the Argentine town of Misión La Paz. This involves 270 kilometres of newly paved roads within Paraguayan territory.

Chile, for its part, is upgrading its ports and infrastructure to accommodate the new freight flows. Five border crossings are being improved, and agreements have been formalised to simplify customs procedures, making the transport of goods faster and more efficient.

The project as a whole comprises approximately 2,500 kilometres of paved roads—with the potential for an additional 1,000 kilometres of secondary connections—two international bridges, five customs crossings, four Pacific ports and one Atlantic port, as well as the crossing of the Andes through the Sico and Jama passes. It is an extraordinary feat of infrastructure agreed upon by four national governments and eight subnational governments, despite all the difficulties involved in achieving consensus among the many interests at stake.

Not all stakeholders are approaching their responsibilities with the same degree of seriousness. Argentina, whose foreign policy is subordinated to an obsequious alignment with the interests of Trump and Netanyahu, is turning its back on this Latin American project. Milei pays no attention to his regional counterparts and disdains anything involving public works.

What are the consequences of this attitude? Argentina has become “the missing link in the Bioceanic Corridor,” as journalist Marcelo Berenstein has described it. Within Argentine territory, 160 kilometres of road are in extremely poor condition, approximately 24 kilometres consist of abandoned gravel roads, and there are serious risks resulting from the failure to build flood defences near the Bermejo River. “One more flood and we will be left without a road,” local residents warn.

Pressed by his country’s own needs, Paraguayan President Santiago Nieto announced in April of this year that Paraguay would unilaterally undertake the construction of the bridge between Pozo Hondo and Misión La Paz. Yes, you read that correctly: faced with Argentina’s unwillingness to participate in the work, Paraguay will use its own resources to build a binational bridge.

Salta’s civic and business sectors have joined forces and are loudly demanding the work needed to connect their territory to this ambitious project. According to preliminary estimates, the corridor could carry approximately 8.6 million tonnes of export cargo annually, valued at around USD 3 billion per year, while reducing logistics costs by between 30% and 40% compared with traditional maritime routes.

However, a project of this magnitude cannot be assessed solely in economic terms. It also carries an immeasurable value in terms of cultural integration, which alone makes it worthy of consideration. Such exchange will pave the way for new activities that cannot yet be foreseen but will inevitably emerge from closer and more fluid connections among communities.

The Argentine government’s failure to address this issue is a dangerous dereliction. The current state of a world engulfed in serious conflicts, including armed wars, makes it essential to strengthen ties with neighbouring countries—those with which we share the very roots of our essential identity.

Business leaders in northern Argentina must intensify their demands so that the national government immediately takes the necessary measures to ensure the country’s effective integration into the Capricorn Bioceanic Corridor.

We must always remember that, to achieve balanced development, a country needs timely and affordable access for its export products to the world’s largest and most distant markets.

We must not allow a government imbued with foolish and excessive pro-market dogmatism to prevent us from forging closer bonds with the peoples with whom we share our deepest cultural and emotional roots.

Sisto Terán Nougués is a lawyer who has practised in several areas of law, combining his legal work with a distinguished career in Argentina’s public sector and in territorial development and sustainability projects.