Can the TPP widen the Latin America's divide?

With the signature of the TPP in Auckland, NZ, this February, some important questions can be raised to assess the impact of a US-led mega bloc in Latin America. The known ideological rift prevailing in the southern cone could be further widened. How is that? The various conglomerates and alliances formed during post-Cold War account for the classic neorealist approach whereby countries ally with the most powerful or retreat from an hegemon. Precisely that, the Pacific axis (open economy, FTA's and WTO guidelines) versus the Atlantic axis (protective markets, less open economies and ideologically allied to counterbalance American power in the wake of a multipolar world since 1989) can see countries bandwagoning on American power even more and those balancing against its hegemonic power on the continent. The following analysis provides an insight into the TPP and the ideological rift in Latin America's countries.