AprEs le sommet de Mar del Plata: les Ameriques plus divisees que jamais

In: Critique internationale: revue comparative de sciences sociales, Heft 1, S. 149-160

Abstract

Analysis of the results of the fourth summit meeting of the Americas, held in Mar del Plata in November of 2005, reveals the factors that have led to the formation of two antagonistic groups of countries, during the hemispheric negotiation process. There is a widespread belief that these negotiations are leading to the formation of two trade blocs, based on NAFTA & MERCOSUR. This article, however, emphasizes the fact that the summit results have opened the door to a network of trade agreements anchored to the USA, & to the isolation of opponents of North American regionalism. Since Brazil has little to offer its South American neighbors, the US will take advantage of these circumstances to extend the NAFTA model to the entire continent. This goes against the principles chosen to structure the process leading to a potential Free Trade Zone of the Americas. Adapted from the source document.