Trade Seen Taking Back Seat to Politics at South American Summit
Trade Seen Taking Back Seat to Politics at South American Summit
Mercosur’s goal of economic integration has become sidelined by political rhetoric surrounding the Edward Snowden case and allegations of U.S. espionage in the region, points out Christopher Sabatini.
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay—Allegations of U.S. espionage and expressions of solidarity for National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden are expected to top the agenda as South American presidents gather for a summit in Uruguay's capital on Friday.
Mercosur, as the South American customs union is known, was founded in 1991 as a vehicle to promote regional trade. But it has increasingly become a political forum for regional leaders, some of whom plan to voice concerns about reports of electronic surveillance by the U.S. of several Latin American countries. What is less clear is whether members will find a way to effectively deal with membership and trade disputes that have some national officials and analysts questioning the value and future direction the trade bloc....
The incident prompted leftist regional leaders to call a snap summit in Bolivia a week ago, where they demanded that Spain, Italy, France and Portugal explain and apologize for their actions.
"Up until now, we continue to consider insufficient the explanations or apologies European countries have given," Uruguay's Foreign Minister Luis Almagro told reporters following a meeting of Mercosur foreign ministers early Thursday.
Christopher Sabatini, the senior director of policy at Americas Society and Council of the Americas, said the bloc's original goal of economic integration has become sidelined by political rhetoric.
"They failed to sufficiently liberalize the trade within Mercosur, and as a customs union they have shackled their members and their ability to negotiate free-trade agreements with other more-modern and dynamic economies," he said....
