By Thiago de Aragao.

It is as yet not known what stage former president Lula's laryngeal tumor is at. However, the mere hypothesis that he is seriously ill is a strong blow to national politics.

Full text 

By Thiago de Aragao.

The Brazilian government has an expressive voting majority in National Congress. Nominally, there are 400 in the House and 62 in the Senate. However, this does not mean that life is easy in Parliament. Allied dissatisfaction and appetites make mobilization of this majority difficult and voting on some issues of interest to the Planalto Palace extremely expensive.

Full text 

By Thiago de Aragao.

Ruling on the Direct Unconstitutionality Action (ADI) # 2.588, which provides for the levying of IR (Inland Revenue) and CSLL (Social Contribution over Profit) applicable to profits obtained by companies controlled from or co-connected abroad will be on Brazil's Supreme Federal Court agenda this Thursday.

Full text 

Carlos Bellini, Daniel Lledo, Thiago de Aragao

Download 2009 Elections in Latin America (140 kilobyte PDF)

This report presents an evaluation of the legislative elections in Argentina and their impact on the Presidential succession of 2011, as well as an evaluation of the Presidential candidates in Uruguay, chosen through their parties' primaries. The Presidential election is scheduled for October 2009.

Thiago de Aragao

March 2006

Download the report (50 kilobyte PDF)

Latin America is a region characterised by a consistently high potential for economic and social development, but faces serious difficulties in accomplishing this task. Throughout the last few decades Latin America has experienced periods of economic growth generally followed by moments of stark recession. Such economic growth cycles have always been tremendously difficult to maintain and, most of all, use in creating positive results for social development. In some ways, the economic history of South America has been a permanent alternation of these cycles - a typical stop and go – or, 'like a chicken flying', always short and low.

Further information 

Sponsored by Nestle

Friday 17 November, 15:00 - 19:00

Venue: Council Chamber, Ground Floor, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies , Charles Clore House, 17 Russell Square, London, WC1B 5DR.

The Foreign Policy Centre and the Institute for the Study of the Americas would like to invite you to the following event:

Trading Out of Poverty in Latin America

Speakers:

Professor Janet Dine, Queen Mary, University of London

Professor Brigitte Granville, Queen Mary, University of London

Claire McGuigan, Christian Aid

Hilary W Parsons, Nestlé

Graham Symons, Department for International Development (DfID)

Chaired by: Diego Sanchez Ancochea, Institute for the Study of the Americas, University of London

Global fair trade sales have now reached $400 million annually and are projected to rise as the popularity of ethical trading gains increasing mass market appeal. Fair trade enterprise is estimated to return profits of between 25 to 30 percent to producers, improving the lives and livelihoods of those conventionally marginalised from global export markets. However, there are a number of challenges. Does growing competition within the sustainable trade sector compromise the values of alternative trade initiatives? Why do producers continue to channel the bulk of their produce through conventional markets? Why are so few small scale farmers participating in fair trade networks and should participation be extended to include plantation-based production in order to benefit poor farm workers? To explore how to constructively overcome the dilemmas facing fair trade and other ethical trade initiatives, designed to give farmers increased ownership of the goods they produce, the Foreign Policy Centre and the Institute for the Study of the Americas will host a forum to discuss whether fair trade can make a significant impact on poverty in Latin America while promoting ethical trading values.

Please RSVP to Andrew Russell, andrew.russell[at]fpc.org.uk or 0207 729 7566

This event is kindly supported by Nestlé

Download Seminar Report: Trading Out of Poverty in Latin America (150 kilobyte PDF)

16th March 2006

FPC launches Latin America work with seminar on sustainable development

Stephen Twigg, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre, chaired 'Enterprise in Emerging Economies - Who Can Deliver Sustainable Development?', a round-table discussion launching what the FPC hopes to be the first in a series of events and publications on Latin America.

The seminar was attended by a number of figures from the private, public and NGO sectors. Among the speakers were HE Mr Luis Solari Tudela, Peruvian Ambassador to the UK; Paul Bulcke, Nestlé's Executive Vice President for the Americas; and Thiago de Aragão, a Brazilian political analyst and the FPC's new Latin America Research Associate.