Are Megatrade TTIP & TPP a Threat to Latin America? Otaviano Canuto, Samuel George and Cornelius Fleischhaker - Seeking Alpha
go to original March 22, 2016

Megatrade Deals & Latin America: How will TPP, TTIP and the other affect the region? (GEDProject)

For centuries, Latin America's economies have revolved around exporting commodities - be it digging up minerals and hydrocarbons, planting soya or coffee, or taking advantage of what animals leave behind, the region has historically relied on shipping natural resources overseas.

Depending on the era, this could certainly be a lucrative endeavor, but commodity prices are notoriously fickle, and a focus on natural resources stunted the region's efforts to build the manufacturing supply chains that have been instrumental in East Asia's rapid industrialization.

In the post-World War II era, many Latin American countries attempted to address this commodity reliance by implementing import-substitution industrialization policies. In practice, this meant high tariffs to discourage imports, thus protecting domestic industry.

...As timing would have it, just as Latin American countries such as The Pacific Pumas (Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru) seek deeper integration into global trade, the world debates a series of mega trade deals.

How these deals will affect the region is a subject of a new Bertelsmann Foundation study, A Chain Reaction? Effects of Mega-Trade Deals on Latin America. So what did it find?

Read the rest at Seeking Alpha

Related: TPP, Under Fire in US, Not a Slam Dunk in Mexico Either (Plastics News)

Related: Dean Baker | Fools or Liars on the Trans-Pacific Partnership? (Truthout)

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