Suchergebnisse

Since its coming to power, Lula's government has made South America the top priority of its foreign policy. The aim is to give Brazil the status of a regional power and reinforce its positions on a multilateral scale. The attempt has failed due to the keen competition and aspirations of Argentina and Venezuela. This is compounded by the difficult political relations with neighboring countries and the Brazilian inability to manage the area politically due to lack of means. An analysis of its position vis-a-vis Mercosur and Unasur points up the failings of the project and stresses the need to fully assume the costs implicit in developing a status of regional power. Adapted from the source document.

Après avoir présenté la stratégie d'insertion multilatérale du Brésil, qui lui donne une certaine indépendance à l'égard des grandes puissances, l'article analyse les fondements de l'opposition brésilienne au projet de libre-échange continental proposé par les États-Unis. Le texte présente tout d'abord la stratégie régionale du Brésil, qui s'articule autour du MERCOSUR et qui vise à développer les bases de la sécurité économique du pays à partir du développement de relations privilégiées avec ses voisins, dans le cadre d'un projet visant à restreindre la présence des États-Unis en Amérique du Sud. Les réticences que formule le secteur privé local à l'égard d'une éventuelle ZLÉA sont ensuite abordées afin de préciser l'origine de l'opposition de Brasilia. Le texte se termine sur une discussion de l'évolution récente des rapports régionaux dans le Cône sud, question qui constitue la principale faiblesse de la stratégie brésilienne à l'égard du projet commercial des États-Unis.

Brazil's multilateral insertion strategy into the world economy is presented, & the basis for Brazil's opposition to the proposed free trade project is analyzed. Brazil's regional strategy, built around Mercosur, aims at developing the country's economic security bases starting from its privileged relations with its neighboring countries & at limiting the presence of the US in South America. The reluctance displayed by the local private sector regarding a possible Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is discussed in order to identify the origins of Brasilia's opposition. The development of recent regional relationships within the South Cone is examined as they are the principal weakness of the Brazilian strategy regarding the American free trade project. 1 Table, 2 Figures. Adapted from the source document.

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.