RSS• The burgeoning Chinese/Brazilian relationship • Why is China going after Latin America’s distant commodities? • Should the U.S. be alarmed by China’s poaching in its own “backyard”? As China’s economy soared during the 1980’s, its consumption of foreign oil rose as [...]
Archive for the ‘Commodities’ Category
December 15th, 2009 - 10:34 am § in Canada, Commodities, Free Trade, Front Page, NAFTA, Obama, Opinion
The U.S. Targets Canada’s Oil Sands: Washington Should Tread Lightly with its Environmental Legislation, so that Carbon Cuts will not Come at the Expense of Canada’s Energy Sovereignty or U.S. Energy Security
Even though climate change legislation has stalled within the United States, President Obama’s willingness to bypass Congress using the authority of the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signals that he is seriously prepared to cut U.S. carbon emissions. The way in which Obama forges a[...]
The Doha Round: An Examination of Where the Development Round is Headed, Regarding Free Trade in Latin America and Worldwide
The World Trade Organization is currently facing an unprecedented challenge in its attempt to galvanize the stagnant Doha Development Round, which has been dragging on since 2001. In light of globalization trends and an increasing inequality gap with the rich getting richer, as many of the poor get [...]
A Grey Goldmine: Recent Developments in Lithium Extraction in Bolivia and Alternative Energy Projects
According to Bolivian President Evo Morales, lithium is not only important to his country’s economic future but is “the hope of humanity,” as the lightweight metal efficiently stores energy capable of powering the eco-friendly cars of the future. Bolivia’s lithium reserves have made headline[...]
Cuba’s Sugarcane Ethanol Potential: Cuba, Raul Castro, and the Return of King Sugar to the Island
“Central America and the Caribbean, historical sugar-producing economies where the sugar-ethanol infrastructure already has a foundation, labor costs are low, and the political conditions are more or less stable– offers the best near-term potential for large-scale sugarcane ethanol production. [...]
Bolivia: The myth of the Saudi Arabia of lithium
Published by Reve October 28, 2009 Bolivia produces no lithium, though it is sometimes called “the Saudi Arabia of lithium” because its still-untapped salares are thought to contain nearly 50 percent of the world’s estimated lithium reserves. Lithium can be obtained in small quantities in the [...]
Mexico: An Oil Nation in Crisis
Mexico is currently facing one of the biggest economic recessions in the country’s two hundred-year history of independence. Some Mexican policy makers blame the economic crisis on this year’s decrease in tourism, while others attribute it to the continued dependence of the Mexican economy on t[...]
August 10th, 2009 - 9:11 am § in Colombia, Commodities, Economic, Ecuador, Environment, Front Page, Press Releases
Colombia and Ecuador: Two Different Countries, Two Mining Futures
They may have torn relations and be at constant loggerheads, they may have wildly contrasting political cultures and leaders, but Colombia and Ecuador do have at least one thing in common: they both appear destined to become major mining countries. They also have both been slow developers on the min[...]
China’s Policy Paper on Latin America and the Caribbean
On November 5, 2008, the Chinese government released a policy paper on Latin America and the Caribbean, as it had previously done so for Europe in 2003 and for Africa in 2006. Although it may not come as a huge surprise that Latin America is the most recent region for which China has formally [...][...]
For Venezuela, There Still is Power through Petro
Viva La Revolución The Bolivarian revolution propelled by Hugo Chávez has transformed Venezuela, its messianic vision for the country brought to fruition by its vast oil reserves. The petro-revenues have permitted President Chávez to encourage an abundance of social welfare programs around the[...]