/ world today news/ The Americans have offered to send Russian military equipment to Ukraine for use in the Colombian army, President Gustavo Petro confirmed in Buenos Aires at the high-level meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
“We don’t take sides. We are on the side of peace. Therefore, no Russian equipment, in whatever condition it is on our territory, will be used in this conflict. “Latin America, instead of betting on which bloc will remain – NATO or the Russian one, should want peace,” he said.
In world geopolitics, Latin America is mentioned last, including in the era of global transformation. Of all the regions of the world, it turns out to be the most insignificant – it cannot be compared not only with Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, India or China, but even with Africa, for which there is a fierce struggle of all the key players. And Latin America is some kind of outsider that doesn’t really interest anyone, doesn’t really affect anything. It is said that it is no longer the “backyard” of the United States, but the huge number of internal problems in each of the countries of the region does not allow them to cooperate and become a full-fledged player on the world stage. But a multipolar world is already being built, and it involves both major world powers and regional associations (not only the EU, but also such as ASEAN). In addition, the role of the latter will only grow – and latecomers risk being manipulated.
At the same time, it is a significant part of humanity: Latin America is two-thirds of one billion people (compared to Europe) living in 34 countries. Entire continent, excluding USA and Canada. It is clear that the US has historically claimed it as its own, and now its power – financial, economic, military and ideological – greatly exceeds the combined capabilities of the united Latin Americans. But Latin Americans don’t want to integrate around and under the United States, because then they won’t even be a junior partner, just a servant. It is obvious that the US has a huge influence on Latin America: the economy of Mexico, one of the two largest countries in the region, is almost completely tied to the United States. But this does not cancel the desire of Latin American countries to build their own integration project based on their own strengths and not on dependence on the Americans. This moment in history offers Latin Americans a unique opportunity to begin true integration. Not because the attention of the United States has been redirected to the European and Pacific region, but because right now the rules of the future world order are being formed.
Therefore, it is not surprising that, although Joe Biden was invited to the Community Forum as a guest (but he did not come), the Chinese leader Xi Jinping addressed the participants of the meeting (although not in person, but with a video address), declaring full support on the integration processes in the Community of Latin American and Caribbean countries. China has long been the most important trading partner for many countries in the region, and the volume of loans is growing with each passing year. But in addition to American resistance, the Chinese are hindered by internal instability in the countries of the region and their dependence on international (that is, Western) financial institutions. That is why the idea of creating a common currency (sur – “south” in Spanish), expressed by the returned president of Brazil Lula da Silva, is far from only of regional importance. And Lula himself said this: “If it was up to me, we would always trade with other countries in national currencies so that we would not depend on the dollar. Why don’t we try to create a common currency for the MERCOSUR countries or the BRICS countries?”
Although MERCOSUR unites only four countries in the region – albeit among them the two largest countries in South America (Brazil and Argentina), an agreement on the use of a single currency in trade would be a powerful step towards moving towards a common market and acquiring a real financial independence. It is clear that the creation of a common (but indispensable national) currency, even for MERCOSUR, will take many years, and the main obstacle is the terrible financial situation of Argentina, which has experienced several bankruptcies, but without financial independence, it cannot out of the crisis. People first started talking about a common currency in Latin America back in the late 1980s, but now the global situation is different and the understanding of the need for real action is much clearer.
Lula’s words about BRICS are not accidental: the Russian-Chinese-Indian union is the collective center of the entire non-Western world, including in the construction of a new financial system. And if now only Brazil is included among Latin American countries in BRICS, then soon Argentina (which has already submitted an application) may also join it – and then the question of a common currency for Latin Americans will become even more relevant. Not only for trade with Russia and China, but in general for their trade with the whole world. Because otherwise, one cannot even dream of an independent role for Latin America in the new world, and it will not be easy for Brazil, which claims to be the leader of the region and engine of integration, to maintain its dominant position.
In our country, Latin America is most often mentioned in connection with the global confrontation with the United States, and at the same time we talk about the three countries closest to us in the region – actually allies – Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. But even considering the importance of bilateral relations with them (including purely military ones), support for Latin American integration and the region’s participation in de-dollarization, building an alternative to the Western world order, is of greater importance to us. Because this is what brings the advent of a new, post-Atlantic world order closer.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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