Canning Insights

Much talk about talks in Venezuela but so far nothing concrete

Following last month’s Canning Paper, which described the rivalry and com- parative performance of Mercosur and the Pacific Alliance, this report takes a broader look at the experience of trade blocs in Latin America over the past two decades. It notes that relative to the claims for free trade the results of the process of economic integration have been disappointing, giving rise to intense dispute and rival initiatives.

Unasur arrives in Caracas to the perfect narrative

Peru’s Humala faces threat of spiralling social conflicts

President Ollanta Humala is desperately trying to douse the flames of social conflict in some of Peru’s poorer regions. Two ‘indefinite strikes’ in a matter of weeks have raised concerns that latent social conflicts elsewhere could ignite and spread like wildfire. This is a disturbing prospect for the Humala administration, which is striving to boost foreign investment in extractive industries to drive Peru’s flagging economy. But with new laws relaxing regulations governing the extractive industries, streamlining environmental impact studies and fast-tracking permit approvals, there could be plenty more ‘indefinite strikes’ in the offing.

Rousseff responds to Brazil protests with anti-corruption measures

Surveys both before and after Sunday’s major anti-government protests in Brazil showed that the principal motivation for those who took to the streets in São Paulo and elsewhere was corruption. According to Datafolha, 47% of those present cited corruption as the reason for their presence; only 27% demanded President Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment. As such, the government has responded with a package of anti-corruption measures, but only one element can be fulfilled without congressional approval. Securing legislative support for more thorough reform is likely to prove a challenge, given the poisonous atmosphere generated by the investigation into wrongdoing at Petrobras, the state-owned oil company. In the meantime, the activists who organised the 15 March demonstrations have already planned another for 12 April.

Sánchez Cerén secures victory in El Salvador, shapes team