Time for Common Latin American Visa
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer
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What irony! While the 27-nation
As I read the news of the imminent creation of the EU foreign service during a visit to
At a meeting in
Already, the EU allows free movement between its countries for both citizens of member countries and foreigners, has a common currency -- the euro -- and is about to appoint the first European president.
In
MILITARY SPENDING
Sadly, the constant territorial and political conflicts among Latin American countries are resulting in rising military expenditures. Military spending in
Latin American countries are also paying a high price in trade because of their mutual distrust. During a recent visit to
In
What's worse, most Latin American countries don't even have agreements to allow tourists from other parts of the world to visit the region with one single visa.
CHINESE TOURISTS
Something similar may happen for the 2014 soccer World Cup and the 2016 Olympic games in
My opinion:
Instead of making grandiose statements about the region's political and economic integration -- which are long on poetry and short on concrete deals -- Latin American leaders should follow the steps of the
The EU started more than five decades ago with concrete deals to trade coal and iron and later expanded these deals to many other products, freedom of movement across its borders and a common currency, before embarking nowadays on creation of a common foreign service and the appointment of a European President.
Latin American countries could start by issuing a common visa in time for the 2014 World Cup as a prelude to attracting an avalanche of tourists from other parts of the world and be prepared for the explosion of Chinese tourism a few years down the road. That would do more to reduce poverty in the region than a thousand speeches.
Latin American Economy Will Do Well, but Not Great
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer
The news that Brazil and Mexico have come out of the recession and are poised for solid growth in 2010 should be celebrated, and both countries' leaders should be given credit for their sound economic management. But in the global economic context, the two Latin American giants' recovery will be modest.
Latin America Low on Obama's Priority List
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer
One year after the election of President Barack Obama, it's time to ask whether his ambitious campaign promises about Latin America are being fulfilled, or whether, like others before him, he has placed the region at the bottom of his foreign policy priorities. Let's look at Obama's key campaign promises for Latin America
Royal Spanish Academy Ponders Changes to Spanish Language
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer
One of the pleasant surprises I found during a recent visit to Spain is a new trend by the Royal Spanish Academy to officially modernize the Spanish language and make it much easier to read and write.
Spain Nudging European Union to Ease Cuba Stand
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer
Spain's announcement that it will seek a major improvement in European ties with Cuba's dictatorship once it takes over the presidency of the 27-country European Union on Jan. 1 is bad news not only for pro-democracy activists on the island, but also for oppositionists in several other authoritarian-ruled Latin American countries.
Brazil a Nuclear Power? Probably Not
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer
Brazil's Vice President Jose Alencar made big headlines recently when he stated that Brazil should have the right to have nuclear weapons, which he said would give his country a greater 'dissuasive' power and more 'respectability' in world affairs.
Politics Not Economics Sinking Mexico
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer
Everything that could possibly go wrong seems to be going wrong for Mexico, Latin America's worst performing economy this year. But a new government idea could put this country back on the road to prosperity for decades to come -- if government officials really are serious about it.
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