Canning Insights

Peru’s new prime minister: a red rag to the opposition

Moderate growth, with things to worry about

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.