Brazil Finds Benefits and Drawbacks in the Rio de la Plata Basin

The balance of power has shifted in the competition between Brazil and Argentina in the Rio de la Plata Basin, which includes the smaller buffer states of Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia. Argentina has weakened economically and politically while Brazil has risen in prominence, increasing Brasilia's relative strength in the region. Brazil has built up levers of influence across numerous strategic sectors in these countries, though it still faces many challenges and constraints — some even self-imposed — in assuming a true regional power role.