Meet the GOP Congressmen Who Could Sell Trump on Cuba
Those hoping that President Donald Trump will continue his predecessor’s engagement with Cuba have found some unexpected allies. Republican Representatives Rick Crawford of Arkansas, Tom Emmer of Minnesota and Mark Sanford of South Carolina – all vocal supporters of the new president – have each this year re-introduced bills they wrote during the Obama administration … Read more
Why Trade Is Key to Brazil’s Economic Recovery
This article is adapted from AQ’s most recent issue, “Fixing Brazil.” To receive the print edition at home, subscribe here. Foreign trade will play an important role in Brazil’s economic recovery. With the cooling of internal demand, the international market is critical for revitalizing national industry — a central element of job and income creation. The importance … Read more
Why Mercosur Is Stuck with Venezuela
Venezuela’s September 1 demonstrations, in which as many as a million people took to the streets of Caracas to demand a change in government, were certainly impressive. But were they effective? If the goal was to fundamentally alter the country’s political direction, the answer is probably “no.” Despite the buzz generated by this month’s protests … Read more
Trabaje con México en la Cuarta Revolución Industrial
Read in English Estimado(a) Sr(a) Presidente(a): El comercio y las relaciones entre México y Estados Unidos se han destacado como el objetivo de la campaña electoral de este año pero la retórica pasa por alto una realidad inequívoca. Como la siguiente persona que ocupe la silla presidencial de Estados Unidos, usted presidirá el inicio de … Read more
Make Latin American Trade Expansion a Priority
In the new issue of Americas Quarterly, we asked people, “What would you tell the next U.S. president about Latin America?” To see other authors’ responses, click here. Dear Mister / Madam President, Trade is the most potent tool the United States can use to promote a vision of inclusive economic growth with equity across … Read more
This Week in Latin America: Obama in Havana, Venezuela in Crisis
Sign up here to get This Week in Latin America delivered straight to your inbox every Monday. Cuba, Argentina Host Obama: Cuba and Argentina each play host to U.S. President Barack Obama this week, with human rights issues shading both visits. Today, Obama will hold a working meeting with Cuban President Raúl Castro, who will then host a state dinner … Read more
Cuba: Open for Business, But…
Now that U.S. and Cuban flags fly over reestablished embassies in Washington and Havana, the question on many minds is: Is Cuba open for business? The short answer: Yes, but with caveats. In leading four Americas Society/Council of the Americas business delegations to the island over the past three years to explore possible investment opportunities, … Read more
Why We Need A Global Trade Deal
With growth in Latin America expected to decline for a fifth consecutive year in 2015, trade can be a powerful engine for economic renewal. However, it’s clear to most observers that at present this engine is not firing on all cylinders. The World Trade Organization (WTO) forecasts a rise of just 0.2 percent in the … Read more
Harvesting Hope
Correction appended below Being a consumer today is a fraught enterprise. The marketplace is no longer simply a venue for satisfying individual preferences. It is now an arena for expressing social and political identity, and even a mechanism for addressing some of consumerism’s less desirable side effects—from environmental degradation to exploitative labor practices. But consumerism’s … Read more
Bloc That Trade
The old vision of economic integration in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has failed. Over the past decades, LAC countries have concluded more than 60 bilateral trade agreements, as well as formed a number of powerful trade blocs. But the region’s social, political and economic advances have not produced the productive integration that would … Read more
The Peruvian Success Story
Trade and investment are vital for a middle-income economy like Peru, which requires access to export markets and a steady supply of external capital flows in order to thrive. Peru’s foreign trade of goods and services measured by value is equivalent to 48 percent of its GDP.1 For over a decade, Peru has sustained an … Read more
Getting to Win-Win: FTAs in the Americas
Over the past several decades, many of the hemisphere’s trade agreements have included impressively robust provisions on labor and the environment, but gaps in both implementation and enforcement have raised concerns about their effectiveness. Those concerns are especially timely as the region’s economic policymakers begin discussing efforts to facilitate greater international trade and investment, such … Read more
From Stumbling Blocks to Building Blocs
With negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) nearing a conclusion, proponents of free trade are increasingly optimistic about the numerous trade and commercial opportunities this new pact—which would link 12 Pacific Rim countries in a free-trade bloc—will create. Other regional trade discussions, such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the more aspirational Free … Read more
Ask the Experts: Trade is Back!
Antoni Estevadeordal answers: The June 2015 summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU) made clear that countries on both sides of the Atlantic are thinking of ways to revamp their increasingly stagnant political and economic ties. While Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) exports to the EU … Read more
