In These New Times

It’s not just Brexit putting regional integration projects in question. Already after the coup in Brazil Mercosur’s future is being put in doubt by coup leader Temer:

“We need to rediscuss Mercosur at this moment, not to eliminate it, but to give us a safer position to seek to broaden our relations with other countries,” Temer said.

Which other countries might these be? Mercosur is negotiating a trade deal with the EU but that seemingly isn’t broad enough. Unsurprisingly, he is also blocking Venezuela’s upcoming presidency of Mercosur.

Then we have Trump’s wall effectively ending NAFTA, Australia bringing into question it’s partnership with China and it’s Asian future and the question of Hong Kong secession suddenly raised. We seem to be witnessing an emerging anglosphere which would look very much like Oceania in Orwell’s 1984.

Reuters

24th June, 2016

Brazil’s interim President Michel Temer said the Mercosur trade bloc poses an obstacle to other trade agreements and needs to be revised, but not ditched altogether.

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