Argentina

Brazil

Paraguay

Uruguay

France

Economics

Politics

France's new Prime Minister, Michel Barnier, reiterated Paris' opposition to a free trade deal between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc of Latin American countries, adding France will seek to form a 'blocking minority' in the EU Council, Euractiv reported Sept. 13.

France, EU, South America: Paris Reiterates Opposition to EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The worst drought in Brazil's recorded history is affecting 58% of the country's territory, with many areas experiencing no rain in over 100 days and low river levels impacting hydroelectric power generation, Folha de S.Paulo reported on Sept. 4.

Brazil: Worst Drought on Record To Increase Electricity Prices

Equatorial Guinea

Gabon

Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

Venezuela

Algeria

Iran

Iraq

Kuwait

Libya

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Russia

OPEC+ may delay a planned 180,000 barrel per day increase in oil production in October, Reuters reported on Sept. 4, citing three OPEC+ sources.

Global: OPEC+ Weighs Delaying Production Increase

A Brazilian Supreme Court panel confirmed Justice Alexandre de Moraes' suspension of social media network X across Brazil after the company refused to comply with court orders, g1 reported on Sept. 2. 

Brazil: Judicial Overreach To Fuel Legal Uncertainty but Unlikely To Spark Private Sector 'Witch Hunt'

Colombia

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Colombian President Gustavo Petro held a call on Aug. 14 after their Mexican counterpart Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador withdrew from the multilateral initiative to seek a mediated solution to the impasse in Venezuela following the July 28 presidential election, El Pais reported on Aug. 15.

Venezuela: Election Negotiations Unlikely To Progress, Opposition Calls Demonstrations Worldwide

United States

China

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced that he will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru in November and that his administration is working on a proposal related to the China-led Belt and Road Initiative, Reuters reported on July 19.

Brazil, China: Economic Ties Poised To Draw Tighter as Lula Hints at Joining BRI

Brazil's Chamber of Deputies passed a bill that includes regulations needed for the government to implement a tax reform approved in December 2023, Reuters reported on July 10.

Brazil: Multiple Exemptions to Tax Reform Regulation To Increase VAT Level

Federal environmental workers in 15 out of Brazil's 27 states agreed to go on strike in the coming weeks after they rejected the Ministry of Management and Innovation's latest salary increase and career plan proposal, CNN Brasil reported June 17. 

Brazil: Impasse Between Brasilia and Environmental Workers Will Impact Extractive Industries  

Snapshots

Bolivia

An illustrated map shows Mercosur countries.

Stalled trade deals and dwindling intra-bloc commerce will leave the South American trade bloc in a deadlock, likely resulting in only minor rule changes to prevent Mercosur's dissolution.

Mercosur's Latest Meeting Highlights Its Growing Stagnation

Ethiopia

South Africa

Egypt

Turkey

Europe

India

A map illustrating Turkey (in red) and the BRICS countries (in blue).

Joining BRICS would underscore Turkey's balancing act between the West and the Global South, but the organization's weaknesses will limit its potential for economic growth.

For Turkey, BRICS Is Far From a Political and Economic Panacea

Assessments

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is seen at a ceremony in Brasilia, Brazil, on June 17, 2024.

Brazil's governability conditions will keep deteriorating as its left-wing president and right-leaning Congress increasingly butt heads, stalling economic reforms and undermining the country's business climate.

In Brazil, Lula's Obstacles to Passing Economic Policies Continue To Mount

Chile

Spain

U.S.-China Relations

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Putin Goes to China, New U.S. Tariffs on China

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Germany

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) April 12 in Dausa, India.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Military & Security

The Weekly Rundown: Indian Elections, Scholz Goes to China

Senegal

Haiti

Chinese President Xi Jinping on March 11, 2024, in Beijing.

The Weekly Rundown: Senegalese Presidential Elections, Xi Meets With U.S. CEOs

El Salvador

Mexico

Panama

Peru

Flooding on the Rimac River on March 18, 2017, in Chosica, at the foot of the Andes east of Lima, Peru. The current El Nino contributed to floods, crop failure, heat waves and drought across Latin America in 2023, and its effects will persist until it lifts in the second quarter of 2024.

The current El Nino contributed to floods, crop failure, heat waves and drought across Latin America in 2023, and its effects will persist until it lifts in the second quarter of 2024.

How El Nino Will Impact Latin America in 2024

Different currency exchanges are seen outside the Mexican Stock Exchange building at Reforma Avenue in Mexico City on Jan. 5, 2024. 

Mexico and Brazil are better positioned to take advantage of falling U.S. interest rates than Argentina, where political and economic uncertainty will remain high as its new president's reforms are tested.

How Will Changing Global Conditions Impact Latin America's Largest Economies?

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (center) speaks during a ministerial meeting on infrastructure investment projects in Brasilia, Brazil, on Nov. 3, 2023. 

South America's largest economy now finds itself on a more secure path after years of political turmoil and economic stagnation, but its medium-term growth will remain modest.

Reassessing Brazil's Economic Outlook

Taiwan

Belgium

Leaders at the closing day of the BRICS Summit on Aug. 24, 2023, in Johannesburg. On Jan. 1, BRICS will admit Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia after agreeing at an August summit to expand its membership.

The Weekly Rundown: Taiwan's Election Media Blackout, BRICS Expansion

Media

Guyana

Graphics

Venezuelan lawmaker Pedro Carreno (L) delivers a speech while Venezuelan deputy Diosdado Cabello (R) holds a map showing the border between Venezuela and Guyana during a legislative session in Caracas on Jan. 8, 2019.

Venezuela is ramping up border operations as it prepares to pursue its territorial claims on Guyana's Essequibo region.

Venezuela's Reach for Guyana's Territory

(From left to right) The presidents of Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay and Bolivia pose for photographs during the annual Mercosur leadership summit on Dec. 7, 2023, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The addition of Bolivia's small market will yield limited economic gains for the South American trade bloc, and may ultimately result in more internal disputes and challenges due to the country's political turbulence and poor environmental record.

For Mercosur, Bolivia's Accession May Bring More Headaches Than Benefits

<p>Larger in land mass than the contiguous United States, Brazil borders every country on the South American continent except Ecuador and Chile. Three features define Brazil&#39;s geography: the Amazon Basin, tropical savanna and the Brazilian Highlands. The Amazon River and rain forest, the world&#39;s largest, encompass most of northern Brazil and make this region inhospitable to agriculture and large populations. To its south lies the Cerrado, a vast tropical savanna. Advances in agricultural practices have allowed large-scale farming to thrive in this region. However, due to distance and geography, Brazil faces daunting challenges in getting agricultural commodities to international markets. The Brazilian Highlands and the narrow strip of land between the mountains and the coast are home to the majority of the country&#39;s 197 million people. Most of the country&#39;s economic activity occurs in this region. Brazil&#39;s geography largely shields it from external military threats. The Atlantic Ocean, the Amazon Basin and the buffer states of Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay insulate the country. Brazil&#39;s varied regions have made centralized control and integration difficult for the core states of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais. Infrastructure linking the coast and the interior, as well as connecting the various coastal cities is technically difficult and requires high levels of investment. Isolated from the rest of the continent both geographically and linguistically and lacking internal cohesion, Brazil has traditionally been inward looking. Brazil&#39;s primary geographic challenging is consolidating control over its vast peripheral territory and connecting these regions more efficiently with its population centers and ports.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

France, EU, South America: Paris Reiterates Opposition to EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement

Brazil: Worst Drought on Record To Increase Electricity Prices

Global: OPEC+ Weighs Delaying Production Increase

Brazil: Judicial Overreach To Fuel Legal Uncertainty but Unlikely To Spark Private Sector 'Witch Hunt'

Venezuela: Election Negotiations Unlikely To Progress, Opposition Calls Demonstrations Worldwide

Brazil, China: Economic Ties Poised To Draw Tighter as Lula Hints at Joining BRI

Brazil: Multiple Exemptions to Tax Reform Regulation To Increase VAT Level

Brazil: Impasse Between Brasilia and Environmental Workers Will Impact Extractive Industries

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