Brazil – World map

Largest free trade area in the world may not become reality

23Nov

By Center for European Studies and BusinessNo Comments

Americas, Brazil, Mercosur, International Organizations, European Union

Largest free trade area in the world may not become reality

Authors: Ana Reis and Otávio Rauen The Mercosur Agreement - European Union, celebrated in June 2019, after more than 20 years of negotiation, promises to achieve one of the largest international free trade areas, with 780 milhões de consumidores, ancorada na redução de tarifas de importação-exportação, vinda do aumento tecnológico na produção. Yet, a questão ambiental e sustentável tornou-se um impeditivo para tal concretização. (Globo Rural, 2019; Agência Brasil, 2019) O Brasil é o maior exportador de carne bovina do mundo, tendo como um de seu principal - e mais crescente - destino, a União Europeia. O bloco, Yet, é altamente exigente com a qualidade e quantidade de normas acerca da importação de carnes, o que eleva o preço pago por arroba. Como a pecuária europeia mostra-s...

14Nov

By Rodrigo MouraNo Comments

Americas, Asia, Brazil, China

China and Brazil: the old and the young

Chinese President Xi Jinping with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in Brasilia, 13 November 2019. (Xinhua Photo) Following the fashion in vogue in today's Brazil to speak using metaphors related to trivial and private aspects of human life, let's start with a metaphor, however, we will enrich it with some concepts and examples from the far east. It is known that, at different stages of life, we are faced with crises of different circumstances, some light, other serious. Today, with 520 years of history, Brazil can be considered a young nation, in front of 5000 years that China has. This young man, just like any other, faces crises, but at that moment there are intense crises that depending on your choices, define the direction and results of the future. In this ...

The agreement between the European Union and Mercosur

13Oct

By Center for European Studies and BusinessNo Comments

Germany, Americas, Argentina, Brazil, Europe, Mercosur, International Organizations, Paraguay, European Union, Uruguay

The agreement between the European Union and Mercosur

Authors: Bruna Barrento and Maria Julia Zito In the South American scenario, the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) consists of a customs union between Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. In this sense, the members of this agreement have common external tariffs. Whereas in the European scenario, the European Union consists of a political and economic union with free movement of people, services and capital between 27 economies of Europe. It should be added that such unions constitute a mostly economic relationship. In addition, in 2019, the EU presented itself as Mercosur's second largest trading partner. Thereby, it was decided to establish a macrostructure to support the relationship between the two blocks. Thus, since 1999, negotiations have started on the elaboration of an agreement that f ...

Stop saying that we are in a new Cold War

8Oct

By Rodrigo CintraNo Comments

Americas, Brazil, U.S, Europe, Russia

Stop saying that we are in a new Cold War

Cartoon posted at Global Village Space It is common to see analyzes saying that we are entering a new Cold War. This usually happens with each more incisive move made by the Chinese government. Basically the idea is that the United States would be on a pole of power and China would come to occupy the opposite pole, questioning American power. While the question of tensions around power projections may be true, it is incorrect to say that this is a Cold War. What was the Cold War? In a more superficial way was the indirect clash between the United States and the Soviet Union (basically sustained in the atomic race). In more structural terms, the big question was the competition between two models of self-excluding political-economic organization. Ultimately i ...

The BRICS as a rehearsal for the new Bretton Woods

28Sep

By Rodrigo CintraNo Comments

Africa, South Africa, Americas, Asia, Brazil, BRICS, China, Europe, India, International Organizations, Russia

The BRICS as a rehearsal for the new Bretton Woods

Photo: Press Release / The Economist 2015 is a potentially important year for the Brazilian international positioning, was when the New Development Bank was created (https://www.ndb.int/) by the formed BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). The Bank came as an alternative to the already consolidated World Bank (https://www.worldbank.org/en/who-we-are/ibrd) and Inter-American Development Bank (https://www.iadb.org/pt/sobre-o-bid/visao-geral). Although the former is also under strong European influence, both are in a United States control sphere. Broadly speaking, the Bank of the BRICS focuses on supporting the development of structural works, especially linked to infrastructure. On the other hand, it also has an important political function..

From Pompeo to the UN, the difficult support of the idea of non-interference

22Sep

By Rodrigo CintraNo Comments

Americas, Brazil, U.S, International Organizations

From Pompeo to the UN, the difficult support of the idea of non-interference

Photo William Volcov / Brazil Photo Press / Folhapress The wear and tear of the visit of the United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, to Roraima only increases. In the article Brazil enters the US electoral game we saw the electoral reasons for the visit, now we see an impact on Brazilian politics. It is interesting to observe a timid positioning of both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the presidency of Brazil while there is a cry from prominent parliamentarians. The President of the Chamber of Deputies, Rodrigo Maia declared that the visit "it is not in line with good international diplomatic practice and defies the traditions of autonomy and pride in our foreign and defense policies". In the Federal Senate it was no different, to the point that the Foreign Affairs Committee approved ...

20Sep

By Rodrigo CintraNo Comments

Americas, Brazil, U.S

Brazil enters the US election game

Photo: Jason Leysner / AFP Em 18/9/2020 the United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, made a quick visit to Brazil. Given the importance of the position, an important agenda was expected between the governments of the United States and Brazil. But the reality was quite different: the Brazilian government opened the doors of the territory so that the Secretary could campaign politically for the re-election of the current President Donald Trump. The visit took place in Brasilia, where all protocols required for a United States Secretary could be properly implemented (equivalent to a minister, No brazil). It also did not serve to exchange intentions or even sign cooperation agreements. It was an unusual visit to Roraima. Why? To better understand the ...

Brazil loses space to China in South America

25Aug

By Rodrigo CintraNo Comments

Americas, Argentina, Asia, Brazil, China

Brazil loses space to China in South America

Presidents Jair Bolsonaro (Brazil) e Xi JinPing (China) Brazil is a country with a disproportionate size in relation to its neighbors, especially in economic terms. The result of this is that the country ends up playing "of course" a gravitational force, making the other South American countries end up having their economies very dependent on the Brazilian economy. This condition was no different even when considering the other major economy in the region: Argentina. Historically the argetinos had in Brazil the biggest destination of its exports. In September and October 2019 China occupied that primacy, being the main destination for Argentine exports. It was a small difference and lasted only those two months, what seemed to be something transitory. More to rea ...

Aligning is not submitting – the strange Brazil / United States case

4Aug

By Rodrigo CintraNo Comments

Americas, Brazil, BRICS, U.S

Aligning is not submitting – the strange Brazil / United States case

President Donald J. Trump welcomes President Jair Bolsonaro of the Federative Republic of Brazil to the White House Tuesday, March 19, 2019 (Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour) On different occasions, we can see how Brazilian government leaders affirm the alignment they seek with the United States. From President Bolsonaro and his children to Chancellor Ernesto Araújo, you can see statements of how we are aligned and how it will benefit the country. It is interesting to note that they cannot explain what benefits we will have, reducing much of the discourse to a superficial ideological view, which they say is the way to avoid the left. Much of this positioning is the result of a more limited view of the international system, perceiving states within a duality ...

Latin America and BRICS: where Brazil should look

1Aug

By Rodrigo CintraNo Comments

Americas, Brazil, BRICS, China, U.S

Latin America and BRICS: where Brazil should look

The current Brazilian foreign policy has occurred erratically. Although it is argued that it seeks new alignments, the truth is that there is no clear line, based on the pursuit of the country's interests. But not everything is the fault of the current direction that is imprinted on foreign policy, the world has changed and posed new challenges. The structuring polarity of the Cold War has long since ended. Since then, the world has been going through important movements to reorganize the forces, forcing states to seek political positions that offer them more returns. We last 10 years, in particular, this search for a reorganization of the international system was even more confusing. Today the so-called multilateral system is showing ever greater limits, at the same time that we see some powers i ...