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The Falklands Discussion: Some Interesting Comments on Argentina and its Foreign Policy

The Falklands Discussion: Some Interesting Comments on Argentina and its Foreign Policy

In a recent discussion on Argentina’s expropriation of YPF there was much commentary on how the Falklands issue was still one of great importance. Seeing Argentina as independent and able to move ahead, despite having poor relations with the Europeans, created a healthy debate on …

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Repsol’s Argentine Expropriation: Two Awfully Complicated Views

Repsol’s Argentine Expropriation: Two Awfully Complicated Views

Investors often fear one outcome to their investments beyond any natural disasters or recessions, one that has characterised possible nightmare results of investing in Emerging Markets, that of a nationally supported expropriation. Latin America as a whole has often fought and suffered as a result of state expropriations of American …

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The Summit of the Americas 2012: Agree to Disagree on a New Open Drug Economy

The Summit of the Americas 2012: Agree to Disagree on a New Open Drug Economy

Three main issues surrounded this year’s Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia this past weekend. For the most part, those issues created a division between the Americans and Canadians poised against most of Latin America with the exception of the prostitution scandal that will likely be more of an …

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BRICS Strategy 101: Brazil and China

BRICS Strategy 101: Brazil and China

A recent article by IPSNews.net discussed the downside of Brazil’s investment relationship with China. While much of the article discusses the positive exponential growth between Brazil and China, the different nature of growth and long-term investment between the two BRICS are quite different, and in some cases …

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Illness and Elections: Does it Make a Difference?

Illness and Elections: Does it Make a Difference?

In 2011 Jack Layton, the left of center leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, changed the political landscape of Canada by campaigning for his party’s position as the third party in the Canadian political system. The New Democrats, known as the NDP, always was Canada’s third party behind the Conservative …

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The Super Tucano: A Diplomatic Mess Between Brazil and the US Takes Off

The Super Tucano: A Diplomatic Mess Between Brazil and the US Takes Off

A few weeks back we discussed on this FPA blog how Brazil was likely to choose the French candidate as its new fighter jet over its American and Swedish rivals. Part of the decision to choose the French Rafale jet was based on past restrictions by the US on Embraer …

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The Dissolution of the Axis of Evil and Other Naughty Neighbours

The Dissolution of the Axis of Evil and Other Naughty Neighbours

The last few days have been remarkable in the eyes of many in the West who see certain countries or rebel groups as the main source of conflict internationally. Despite Iran pushing against Israel and the US over its nuclear program, and Syrian rebels being crushed in Homs, …

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BRICS Development Bank…Sure Why Not?

BRICS Development Bank…Sure Why Not?

The G20 Finance Ministers meeting to take place this weekend in Mexico City comes at a time where Europe has begun to reduce their crisis, the US and its President is singing along with better economic numbers and BRICS nations continue to roll on despite slower growth in Brazil and …

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How to Win Large Contracts in BRICS Nations: Follow the French

How to Win Large Contracts in BRICS Nations: Follow the French

Dassault Aviation is well known for being the firm that lead France’s military export push since its inception in the late 1940s. The formation of several state aviation companies tasked with rebuilding France’s air force and civil aviation infrastructure after the Second World War re-engaged France’s great tradition in aviation …

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BRICS and Investment: Emerging Markets and Frontier Markets Going for Gold

BRICS and Investment: Emerging Markets and Frontier Markets Going for Gold

Brazil has been affected in recent weeks by suggestions of a slow down in Brazil’s usually hot economy. Inflation in China also has received some attention. The result was that some market studies have been done on the BRICS and emerging economies showing that countries like Mexico, South Africa and …

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Carlos Slim and Telecommunications in Mexico

Carlos Slim and Telecommunications in Mexico

Carlos Slim is well known in Latin America and abroad as one of, if not the wealthiest CEO in the world. He was even mentioned on the Colbert Report this past week introducing him to the American public as someone who’s net worth trumps that of Mitt …

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Brazil’s Women Leaders on Top of the World

Brazil’s Women Leaders on Top of the World

The way to become a top CEO in Europe or the US has often come from societies that promoted the top achievers in schools and universities into positions of great influence and great wealth. With hard work and luck a person of normal means could often get into high positions, …

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FPA Comments On: “Mexico’s Drug War: Not Another Colombia”

FPA Comments On: “Mexico’s Drug War: Not Another Colombia”

This week COHA.org writer Natalia Cote-Munoz produced a great piece comparing and contrasting Mexico’s current drug war with Colombia’s historical drug conflict in order to differentiate between policies that should be applied to the two countries. Often parallels are depended upon in discussing the two countries and their internal drug …

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The Future of Latin American Relations with Iran

The Future of Latin American Relations with Iran

This week Iranian President Ahmadinejad toured Nicaragua, Cuba, Ecuador and Venezuela in a push to expand Iran’s international relationships as well as to establish Iran in America’s backyard. With recent tensions being ramped up exponentially between the US and Iran,

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The Beginning of the End of the Global Economic Slowdown: A Possible End to the European Union?

The Beginning of the End of the Global Economic Slowdown: A Possible End to the European Union?

Anyone watching the end of the year documentaries on stations like the BBC and other international broadcasters likely feel the sense of slight growth in the United States mixed with slowing growth in places like South America and other regions that have thus far resisted the 2008 economic collapse effectively. …

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About the Author

Richard Basas

Richard Basas, a Canadian Masters Level Law student educated in Spain, England, and Canada (U of London MA 2003 LL.M., 2007), has worked researching for CSIS and as a Reporter for the Latin America Advisor. He went on to study his MA in Latin American Political Economy in London with the University of London and LSE. Subsequently, Rich followed his career into Law focusing mostly on International Commerce and EU-Americas issues. He has worked for many commercial and legal organisations as well as within the Refugee Protection Community in Toronto, Canada, representing detained non-status indivduals residing in Canada. Rich will go on to study his PhD in International Law.

Areas of Focus:
Law; Economics and Commerce; Americas; Europe; Refugees; Immigration

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