Mercosur will meet this week in Montevideo. Most eyes are on the question of whether the organization will change its rules to allow Venezuela to join over objections of the Paraguayan legislature. However, the bigger question may be whether Mercosur continues to be an effective organization for promoting regional trade.
IPS writes a strong analysis about the protectionism issue at Mercosur. Mercopress, BBC and Clarin all cover the potential new tariffs that Mercosur could place on imports from outside the region.
Separately, USTR Ron Kirk gave an interview last week with a Brazil's Estadao in which he suggested the Obama administration is looking to strike a new trade agreement with South America in general and Brazil in particular. The comments came just weeks after Senator Lugar criticized the administration for not doing more to promote trade with Brazil and Mercosur.
