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China Is Tightening Its Grip in America’s Backyard

South American nations will likely revive UNASUR, promote regional currency to weaken dollar

Heritage, Nov 28, 2022 – For the first time ever, the largest economies in Latin America will now all be governed by progressive politicians who are increasingly hostile to U.S.

LULA SETS OUT EXPANSIVE VISION FOR BRAZILIAN FOREIGN POLICY
Focus on reviving Unasur, the Union of South American Nations
Financial Times, Nov 24, 2022

WILL SOUTH AMERICA REVIVE UNASUR?
IF LULA WINS BRAZIL’S PRESIDENCY, SEVEN OF LATIN AMERICA’S LARGEST ECONOMIES WILL BE RULED BY THE LEFT
By Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, Sep 30, 2022 – ….To be sure, if Lula wins in Brazil, he most likely would try to revive UNASUR, the bloc of South America’s leftist countries that emerged in the 2000s to replace the Washington-based Organization of American States (OAS). Unlike the OAS, UNASUR does not include the United States or Canada.

European Union-style bloc pitched for Latin America, Caribbean
Reuters, Sept 19, 2021 – Latin American and Caribbean nations should aspire to a bloc like the European Union, Mexico’s president and other leaders said at a summit on Saturday, in a bid to wrest influence away from the Washington-based Organization of American States (OAS).
AMLO Wants a United Latin America
Jacobin Magazine, Aug 16, 2021 – Mexico’s president Andrés Manuel López Obrador has called for a union of Latin American countries. Drawing on the revolutionary vision of Simón Bolívar, it aims for regional integration as a bulwark against foreign interference.

The Complex Task of Reviving Multilaterals in Latin America
Oliver Stuenkel, Americas Quarterly, Feb 1, 2021 – ….Furthermore, after four years of Donald Trump’s America First policy, the election of a U.S. president committed to multilateralism and international rules and norms seems to present an ideal moment for strengthening regional institutions. And yet, formidable obstacles stand in the way. To begin with, Trump may have left the White House, but the leaders of the hemisphere’s second- and third-largest countries hold a profoundly Trumpian view of world affairs. Both Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro [Globalists Freak as “Tropical Trump” Bolsonaro Wins in Brazil] and Mexico’s Andrés Manuel López Obrador are deeply skeptical of institutions that limit their countries’ sovereignty, and neither of the two has articulated a coherent vision for the future of Latin America or hemispheric cooperation….
In this challenging regional scenario, five guiding principles stand out in the quest to revive multilateral institutions in the Americas. First, given high levels of polarization, the more cooperation can be kept at the bureaucratic and technical level, the better. Attempts at collaboration must be shielded from populist rabble-rousers who would seek to use them for political purposes….

Oliver Stuenkel is a contributing columnist for Americas Quarterly and teaches International Relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in São Paulo. He is the author of The BRICS and the Future of Global Order (2015) and Post-Western World: How Emerging Powers Are Remaking Global Order (2016).

Unasur to be purged of its “ideological bias” anticipates Paraguay
To recover integration profile from ‘progressives’
Merco Press (South Atlantic News Agency, Uruguay), April 30, 2017 – Paraguay has stated it is time to put an end to the “ideological bias” of the Union of South American Nations, Unasur, and recover its integration profile which was the main purpose of its creation. A foreign ministers summit of the region will address and advance the issue.
Unasur was originally created as the brainchild of Brazil with the purpose of uniting and UNASUR - Clenched Fistorganizing the region, and became official in 2011. All South American countries are full members. However at the time Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Ecuador and their “progressive” profile prevailed as the main force in the southern continent. It was the time of Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff, the Kirchners, Hugo Chavez, Rafael Correa.
Since the ouster of leftist regimes in Brazil and Argentina, Mercosur (Market of the South) has taken the initiative over UNASUR (Union of South American Nations), although UNASUR remains as a potential vehicle for further geopolitical integration. The leftist UNASUR bloc had been developing a divergent, maverick brand of regional mercantilism that could also be described as “regional protectionism.” Under their scheme, South American nations would still surrender sovereignty gradually to a continental authority like the European Union, but would combine continental resources and “Unite!” in protection and defiance against the corporate globalist network of regions managed by the EU, Western “colonialists,” “imperialists” and financiers.
A similar sentiment was occurring within the African Union (AU), but globalist financiers encouraged both of these early integration efforts anyway, believing that they could overtly or covertly steer both blocs into the globalist web at a later stage of regional development. That is exactly what is happening on both continents today, within both Mercosur and the AU.

Regional leaders convene in Santiago to kick off PROSUR initiative
‘Pragmatic integration’ a ‘new stage in the integration of South America’
‘Opportunities for regional integration’ to focus on health, social security, energy, defense, natural disasters and the environment

Buenos Aires Times, March 22, 2019 – Prosur has been born amid the resurgence of the conservative right in Latin America….
The new agreement would take the place of UNASUR, which was promoted by the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and has been inactive for more than three years. The countries plan to model their forum on the successful Pacific Alliance, according to reports, which is made up of Chile, Mexico, Peru and Colombia…
Over the course of the discussions, the group of South American leaders will “appreciate, assess and sort out the experiences of the past,” as well as look at “what comes next,” said Piñera. They also plan to address “challenges and opportunities for regional integration,” with a focus on issues such as health, social security, energy, defense, natural disasters and the environment.
South American nations form new regional group
Prosur to replace Unasur
UPI, March 22, 2019 – Several South American leaders met Friday to create a new regional group after a previous decade-old attempt to achieve broader regional integration failed to achieve unity.
Argentina’s Mauricio Macri, Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, Colombia’s Ivan Duque, Ecuador’s Lenin Moreno, Paraguay’s Mario Abdo and Peru’s Martin Vizcarra met Friday with [Chilean President] Pinera in Santiago to start a new regional organization named Prosur and replace Unasur as the biggest regional group, Chile’s La Tercera reported….
The Unasur separation occurred as countries within the organization had disagreements about issues in Venezuela that deepened in recent years.

SOUTH AMERICA:
Chile organizes a meeting of presidents to promote the creation of Prosur, replacing Unasur
Will be attended by ‘practically all’ the leaders of the region
To ‘strengthen the democratic institutions that govern all of South America’
Infobae (Argentina), Feb 5, 2019 – The Chilean government is organizing a meeting for March in which it is intended to give impetus to a new international institution to replace Unasur, an organization formed in the boom of the leftist wave in Latin America and which today suffers from strong discrepancies and little weight in the region….
The Foreign Minister of Paraguay, Luis Alberto Castiglioni,…. added that, ” since we all share the same principles and values, ” Prosur must serve to ” strengthen the democratic institutions that govern all of South America….”

South American countries move towards common citizenship
People’s Daily (China), May 23, 2013 (Google Translate from Spanish) – South American countries [are] moving towards integration based on regional citizenship and the abolition of visas, said today the director of Peruvian Communities Abroad of the Foreign Ministry of Peru, Manuel Talavera…. Government explained that members of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) has achieved the abolition of visas for tourism and there are facilities to migrate between Member States to work or study.

Propose Unasur South American passport  – Nuevo Herald (Miami Herald) | Associated Press, Nov 25, 2014 (Google Translate) – The Union of South American Nations intends to propose the creation of the South American passport at the summit of presidents of the regional forum, December 5 in the Ecuadorian capital…. Among other objectives … are set common policies to the regional bloc citizens can have the right to health, education and justice within the countries of UNASUR.

Plans Underway for South American Regional Currency  – teleSUR (Venezuela), Dec 8, 2014 – “To implement the joint currency of the Sucre, we have to begin with the creation of a regional reserves fund, which is what analysts have proposed as the first step, which is designing the region’s financial architecture,” said [Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) Ernesto Samper]. A regional reserves fund and the Bank of the South would use the Sucre to break from the control of the World Bank, IMF and other traditional financial institutions that leaders maintain have historically not acted in regional interests. The Sucre would increase regional sovereignty by eliminating the official use of foreign currencies.

Lessons from Latin America on Fighting Colonialism
UNASUR ‘specifically created to…provide a counterbalance for a multipolar world, modeled off of the European Union’
teleSUR (Venezuela), April 23, 2016 – On World Anti-Colonialism Day, teleSUR looks at exemplary achievements in decolonization from the other side of the world, Latin America, that continue to inspire its Afro-Asian allies….
Regional integration began as an anti-colonial fight with Simon Bolivar, and regional bodies remain one of the most powerful ways of countering outside threats and strengthening domestic peace and development. The continent has several regional bodies, but UNASUR and ALBA were specifically created to promote regional development and provide a counterbalance for a multipolar world, modeled off of the European Union. UNASUR, officially born in 2008, is comprised of 12 South American nations: Argentina, Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and Uruguay.
6 Very Interesting Facts About UNASUR on Its Ninth Anniversary
Intended to turn into EU-type bloc with parliament, currency
teleSUR (Venezuela), April 17, 2016 – UNASUR, which is integrated by Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Uruguay, Chile and Venezuela, is intended to be turned into a European Union type bloc, with a unified passport, a parliament, and a single currency by 2019.
UNASUR parliament has 70% advance
Los Tiempos (Bolivia), Nov 13, 2015 (Google Translate) – The construction of the parliament the Union of South American Nations (Unasur), located in the municipality of San Benito, is an increase of 70 percent and a gap of 5 percent. The work will be delivered in May 2016, said yesterday the general coordinator of Unasur, Marcos Loayza.
Long committed Unasur and regional integration
La Republica (Ecuador), March 7, 2016 (Google Translation) – The new foreign minister of Ecuador, Guillaume Long, decided today to strengthen Latin American integration and give “great strength” to the Union of South American Nations (Unasur), beyond “legitimate differences that may exist between governments “of the region…. ” You have to really think about a democratization of international bodies” and “institutions of international governance , ” he said stressing that the United Nations General Assembly voting is “symbolic” something that is “not acceptable” he said.

Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (R) looks on as Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet (L) receives the UNASUR flag from Peru’s President Alan Garcia during the South American Union of Nations (UNASUR) summit in Brasilia May 23, 2008. UNASUR, as the entity is called, is modelled after the European Union and intended to give the region more international clout and a platform for faster economic growth. Reuters Pictures

                                                                                                                                                                                  ‘South America to Have Single Currency in the Future, Lula Says’  Bloomberg.com, January 26, 2008 – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the creation of a South American bloc is a step towards the adoption of a single regional currency.  South American leaders signed an agreement May 23 to establish the Union of South American Nations, or Unasur, a bloc modeled on the European Union. The treaty sets goals for integration of energy and transportation networks and immigration policies. It also creates a South American parliament in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

VIDEO: BLOC HEADS (2013) Part 5 of 10: UNASUR (South America)

Parlasur advances in shaping the South American Parliament  – El Universal (Venezuela), July 3, 2015 (Google Translate) – Board members of the Mercosur Parliament (Parlasur) and the secretary general of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur), Ernesto Samper, agreed during a meeting in Quito on the need to unify efforts to implement Parliament South American…. Carmona said that the contribution of national parliaments to the process of regional integration should lead to the gradual strengthening of Parliament Unasur.

Promoting the creation of the “South American Armed Forces”
UNASUR - Clenched FistAPF Digital (Argentina), April 27, 2015 (Google Translate) – The deputy Nestor Tomassi wants to be by act of Congress and the Government to take the proposal Unasur • The forces would defend the sovereignty of the region, coordinate espionage activities against the United States and boost the defense industry.

Samper suggests a South American peace force to end the conflict in Colombia – Fox News Latino, April 9, 2015 (Google Translate)- Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur), Ernesto Samper, today suggested the performance of a regional peace force to accompany a process of disarmament and demobilization in Colombia, in case the Bogota government and the FARC agreed by the end of the conflict.

Latin American experts discuss creating a regional Criminal Court for the countries of Unasur – Sputnik, April 27, 2015 (Google Translate)- Lawyers of Brazil, Argentina, Spain and Ecuador discussed starting today in Buenos Aires the creation of a regional Criminal Court in the framework of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur),reported Prensa Latina.

UNASUR Court Could Aid Latin American Security – teleSUR, Jan 28, 2015 – An international criminal court run by the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) could be key to the security and democracy of the region, Ecuadorean Attorney General Galo Chiriboga said Tuesday…. The politician explained that a UNASUR court would not be in competition with the International Criminal Court, and would deal with issues specifically affecting the region, such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking.

UNASUR Rejects IMF Criticism to Regional Pro-Integration Processes – Prensa Latina (Cuba), Dec 8, 2014 – “The IMF has no moral authority to come and give us any recommendation after we were for many years subject to its terms that hindered any possibiluty of progress. It is like Dracula running a blood bank,” said Samper during a press conference in this capital. In recent remarks in Santiago de Chile, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said pro-integration mechanisms like Unasur, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) and the Central American Integration System (SICA) should be rejuvenated, and also compared them to a big plate of spaghetti.

UNASUR to introduce free movement of people within the region
The so-called concept of South American passport means free travelling across the region, receiving education and jobs in any part of the continent, and mutual recognition of higher education diplomas
TASS (Russia), Dec 5, 2014 – The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) has prepared a concept for “South American citizenship,” which will let all people living on the continent to travel freely within the region, the organization’s head Ernesto Samper said at the Union’s summit on Thursday. “We have adopted a concept of South American citizenship, which means free travelling across the region, receiving education and jobs in any part of the continent, and mutual recognition of higher education diplomas. This right is granted to 450-500 million people living in South America’s 18 million square kilometers,” Samper said. “Symbolically, we call it the South American passport.” The Union’s leader said the concept, which is similar to the Schengen zone in Europe, will be the first sop towards free movement of people within countries of the union.

Unasur treaty discuss energy and South American citizenship
At the preparatory meeting of UNASUR summit on 4 and 5 December, it was agreed to discuss an energy treaty and a South American citizenship. Furthermore, the possibility of providing a passport to the 400 million inhabitants of the region was opened.
teleSur TV, Dec 22, 2014 (Google Translate) – The agenda of discussions at the next summit of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur), which will be held in Quito, Ecuador’s capital, in early December, will include an energy treaty, the sovereignty of natural resources and the South American citizenship, reported Saturday an official source.

Lula: Regional Integration Is the Solution  – teleSUR, Dec 4, 2014 – South American regional integration is crucial to combat economic crises, former Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, told a meeting of South American leaders Wednesday…. Social integration and the notion of regional citizenship were also themes Lula stressed were important. “The examples of other regional integration blocs show us that integration is only possible when there is an exchange of alliances. We have to support not only political and economic integration but also the integration of people and society,” he said.

South American countries support the new mechanisms of BRICS – La Jornada (Mexico), July 17, 2014 – At the meeting held behind closed doors in Brasilia, the leaders of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) heard explanations about new mechanisms and agreed to commend the initiative…. The president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, in turn proposed a partnership between the New Development Bank (NBD) of the BRICS and the South Bank of the Unasur: “Begins to be the face of a new covenant, a new geopolitical partnership for development, to peace,” he said.

U.S., Latin America relations strained, not broken – La Prensa, April 25, 2012 – Like the European Union, those leaders would like to escape the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) by establishing a common currency similar to the euro….UNASUR (Union of South American Nations) also is an attempt to unify and integrate Latin American countries outside U.S. influence.

Russia ready to collaborate with all Latin American countries – Putin – Voice of Russia, July 11, 2014 – [Putin] believes that “integration processes in Latin America reflect to a large extent the worldwide regional integration tendencies and indicate the pursuit of political consolidation in the region and reinforcement of its influence on global affairs.

A Post-American Hemisphere? – ISN, May 1, 2012 – The first of these was the Andean Community, established in 1969, which today unites the 100 million inhabitants of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru into a regional customs union. In 2006, Venezuela withdrew from this community in order to sign a membership agreement with Mercosur, the Southern Common Market, which is the southern counterpart of the Andean Community. At present it consists of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay….The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) represents the next logical step beyond the Andean Community and Mercosur. Its aim is to combine its predecessors into a locally adapted version of the European Union.

Meaningless Multilateralism – Foreign Affairs (Council on Foreign Relations), Aug 8, 2014 – Brazil sponsored the creation of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) in 2008 and, with Mexico, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in 2011, with the stated goal of promoting regional solidarity and independence…. But these organizations did not follow the example set by other multilateral arrangements — whether economic (North American Free Trade Agreement), security-focused (NATO), or diplomatic (United Nations) — of requiring member states to subordinate some aspect of national sovereignty.

Hugo Chávez – Revolutionary Internationalist – Venezuelanalysis, Aug 4, 2014 – Everybody likes a nice literacy programme, but why oh why did Chávez have to go and align himself with brutal dictatorships…. Such a sentiment could be found in more than a few Chávez obituaries emanating from the western left…. The Nicaraguan anti-imperialist analysts Jorge Capelán and Toni Solo write that “in Latin America, it is impossible to engage in the construction of socialist and anti-capitalist alternatives without at the same time struggling to integrate the region politically, economically and even culturally…. This is so because the colonial and imperial powers needed to split the region up into small countries in order to exploit its resources and labour.”…. This project has been pursued through the creation of various organisations of regional integration – in particular ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America), CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) and UNASUR (Union of South American Nations).

Natural Resources as the Dynamic Axis of UNASUR strategy – Alí Rodriguez Araque, general secretary of the Union of South American Nations, Venezuelanalysis, March 31, 2014 – With the signing of the Foundation Charter of UNASUR (the Union of South American Nations), the twelve countries that make it up took a step of historic dimensions. This is a question, no less and no more, of enforcing the decision to reunite the parts, now separate, of a great nation. Because that is what we are: having a common territory and a common historical origin, having a culture and beliefs that are also common, sharing a language that allows easy communication, and facing common problems, principally that of poverty.
Resolution 1803 of the General Assembly of the United Nations (1), approved in 1962 and which deals with the principle of sovereign and permanent property of States over their natural resources….A policy of this sort, outlined here in general aspects, will demand a substantial mass of resources. This in turn requires gathering contributions of all member countries for the development of institutions such as the Banco del Sur [Bank of the South], as well as common policies for negotiations when extra-regional financing is needed. So we are faced with the enormous possibility of leaving behind the nightmares of poverty for so many, and of providing a vigorous and growing impetus to the integral development of South American human beings…
Spoken like a true leftist: The state is supreme, and it alone has the right to resource property – usurping the individual’s sell-evident, God-given rights as recognized in the U.S. Declaration of Independence and Constitution’s Bill of Rights. Now Rodriguez, claiming authority from the statist U.N., declares the power of the South American superstate, UNASUR, over resource property “contributions” from member nations.

UNASUR Secretary Calls for Joint Use of Member Nations’ Resources  – Spanish.China.org.cn, May 15, 2014 (Google Translate) – The secretary general of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), Ali Rodriguez , today raised the joint use of natural resources of the 12 countries in the bloc, as part of integration efforts and cooperation…. Rodriguez said that the greatest potential for Unasur is the monumental wealth of natural resources that its members possess , such as gas , oil and gold…. He added that coordination between the members of the bloc will be able to develop a new financial structure will help to crystallize all projects carried each of the 12 countries and thus not depend on international mercantilist institutions.
So in order to avoid dependence upon “international mercantilist institutions,” UNASUR will develop regional mercantilism. Central control of resources of the regional bloc’s member nations – “such as gas , oil and gold” – meets the very definition of historic mercantilism. It is also consistent with the 2009 vision of globalist guru Henry Kissinger, who stated that global integration into a New World Order would likely first require a new mercantilism” of “competing regional units.”

Alba, CELAC, Mercosur and Unasur announce the creation of a common market – RT, April 20, 2014 (Google Translate) – [Venezuelan Trade Minister, Dante Rivas] wrote on his Twitter account, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America ( Alba ), the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States ( CELAC ), Petrocaribe and the Union of South American Nations ( Unasur) will develop “powerful and positive challenges with large market.”
Expert says US trying to execute export coup scenario in Venezuela – ITAR-TASS News Agency (Russia), March 21, 2014 – “Anti-Americanism is the only platform uniting Latin American Spaniards, Indians and Afro-Americans. In this sense, Venezuela, like Cuba earlier, is a country uniting South American states in their opposition to Washington’s diktat,” the expert said. The US chose Caracas as a target that it intends to hit to avoid strengthening of integration processes in the framework of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR),” the colonel-general stressed.
The globalist “free traders” in Washington do not discourage EU-style geopolitical integration among authoritarian nations in South America, or any other region (such as Marxist Vietnam within ASEAN – Assn of SE Asian Nations), so long as that region eventually cooperates with their New World Order network of regional blocs. They will sabotage any effort that insists on being antagonistic to that network, or remains defiant of Western “colonialists” and financiers. In this sense, events in Ukraine and Venezuela are intrinsically related.

Creating a refined Unasur Defence College  – La Razón (Bolivia), April 4, 2014 (Google Translate) – Delegates of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) in Quito tuned regulation of the first regional Defense College, a counterweight to U.S. influence in the traditional training of officers. The representatives of the 12 countries that make up the block, except for Guyana and Paraguay began a two-day meeting to define the “roadmap” of the South American Defense College (Esude), according to an official statement.

Rafael Correa: South America should learn from Europe to integrate  – El Universo (Ecuador), November 30, 2012 (Google Translate) – The president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, said today that the creation of a common citizenship is a goal that “South America, in this case it must learn from Europe.” Correa, who participated in the Presidential Summit VI Union of South American Nations (Unasur) held in Lima, told Peru’s state TV that Europeans “were killed in the Second World War” and other conflicts, “but now are practically a homeland “.
[Apparently, “homeland security” is the operative term and euphemism for “regional security” – replacing “national security.”]

The Promise and Perils of South American Integration – World Politics Review, Jan 12, 2009 – Unasur’s goals include the deepening of South American cooperation and the integration of infrastructure, energy, defense, social services, and ultimately citizenship rights …. the free flow of goods, currencies and people between these countries…. As the DOHA round of trade negotiations languishes and other large worldwide organizations stumble, regional trading blocks and formal cooperation are gaining ground through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the expansion of the European Union, the founding of the African Union, and the launching of a common market between many Middle Eastern countries under the auspices of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (CCASG). With the world divvying up into regional blocks, it makes more sense for Latin American nations to do the same.

INTEGRATED MILITARY:
Brazil Boosts Military ‘Defense Force of South America’
AnsaLatina (Argentina), November 28, 2012 (Google Translate) – The president of the Defence Committee of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, Perpetua Almeida, said today its support for the creation of a regional military force….”I think later the Unasur Defence Council should have a Defence Force of South America, maybe it could be a force for peace….,”said the deputy.
UNASUR calls for integrated armed forces, said Venezuelan Minister – Prensa Latina, June 6, 2012 – Venezuelan Defense Minister General Henry Rangel stated here that the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) calls for the integration and consolidation of the Armed forces from the member countries of the bloc. In statements to Prensa Latina, Rangel pointed out that separate armed forces for friendly countries cannot continue to exist and that these ought to become South American armed forces.
American-backed initiative to create Unasur defense agency  – CRI (China Radio International), July 26, 2012 (Google translation from Spanish) – The commander of U.S. Southern Command, General Douglas Fraser, said Wednesday that his country supported Argentina’s initiative to create a new joint defense body under the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), which is in charge of dealing with transnational crime in the region.
UNASUR will develop its own military aircraft primary training – Lainformacion (Spain), May 30, 2012 (Google Translation link) – The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) began working on the design and production of the first primary trainer military aircraft basic South American, said the Argentine Ministry of Defense. The development of this aircraft, which will be renamed the “UNASUR I” was agreed at the special meeting of the South American Defense Council, held last November in Lima.
Unasur members begin sharing information on defence expenditure – MercoPress, Jan. 31, 2012 – Six South American countries are sharing for the first time in history information on defence expenditure which is seen as a first concrete step to leave behind border disputes and ensure peace in the region, said delegates from Chile, Ecuador and Unasur, Union of South American Nations.
Argentina, Brazil Have Common Defence AgendaBernama, April 18, 2012 – Argentina and Brazil have agreed to work on a common defence agenda underlining the importance of strengthening the Latin Unasur bloc and working to ensure that Latin America is a peace zone thus sending a strong message to Britain on the Falklands/Malvinas issue.
Unasur Nations Reveal Military Spending, Deepen Cooperation – Venezuelanalysis, May 11, 2012 – Defence ministers from Union of South American Nations (Unasur) member states met yesterday for the release of a report detailing each country’s military spending. Ministers and diplomats from the twelve nation regional bloc also pledged further military integration, proposing the creation of a Citizen Security Council.
New Security Structures: A Healthy Trend? – ISN, May 3, 2012 – Nevertheless, in spite of regional anxiety generated by increased arms sales, organized crime and other cross-border issues, there are real signs that new security architectures are emerging within South America. With Brazil and Colombia at the helm, these include a new UNASUR-led initiative to share information on defense expenditures ad building more transparent military alliances.

REGIONAL COURT, LAW ENFORCEMENT
Ecuadorian proposal to create an ICC for Unasur
Andes (Ecuador), August 24, 2012 (Google translation) – The Attorney General, Galo Chiriboga, highlighted in his report of the first year in office, Ecuador’s proposal to create an ICC for the countries of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) , in order to combat international crime.
A CRIMINAL COURT FOR UNASUR – Radio Netherlands Worldwide – Latin America (Google translation), May 25, 2012 – Steps [are being taken] to accelerate the creation of an International Criminal Court in the field of UNASUR. This is demonstrated by various actions taken by the representatives of the bloc countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Support creation of UNASUR Criminal Court to fight drug trafficking – Andina (Peru), June 2, 2012 (Google Translation) – [Peru Attorney General] Jose Pelaez Bardales, considered [it] important to create an International Criminal Court at the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) to combat drug trafficking in the region….He added that it would be necessary to establish a treaty involving legal procedures to be followed by states that choose to participate in the International Court and, finally, define the jurisdiction that such court shall have all the territory of UNASUR.
Venezuela Proposes South American Intelligence Center to Monitor Drug Trafficking  – InSight Crime, June 19, 2012 – On June 18, Venezuela proposed creating a South American intelligence center to monitor drug trafficking in the region. According to Venezuelan Vice Minister of Public Safety Nestor Reverol, the system will monitor maritime and aerial transportation in the region and will promote shared intelligence among South American countries…The proposal will be raised before the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).
South American nations to cooperate in fight against crime: UNASUR  – Columbia Reports, May 3, 2012 – The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) will work together to fight transnational crime, said organization Secretary Maria Emma Mejia, Radio W reported Thursday….According to Mejia, the member countries concluded they needed to “create a mechanism to discuss the problems of transnational crime.”
Peru supports Latin American integration, says foreign minister – Andina (Peru), March 20, 2012 – Peru’s Foreign Minister Rafael Roncagliolo said Tuesday that his country is committed to the unity and integration of Latin America and thus it believes that the Andean Community (CAN) and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) should be part of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur).
Correa Praises Work of Mejia in UNASUR – Prensa Latina, May 29, 2012 – That same day, Venezuelan Ali Rodriguez will take office as secretary general of the regional body….According to the Andes public agency, Ali Rodriguez said that during his term of office UNASUR will promote the creation of mega transnational companies to make the most of natural resources in the region.

REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE:
Cosiplan delegates will meet to discuss rail system – La Nacion (Paraguay), June 21, 2012 (Google Translation) – In the second fortnight of August this year, will meet in Asuncion Council delegates [to the] South American Infrastructure and Planning (COSIPLAN) under the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR)….At this meeting, members will attend the working group on rail integration in the region.
South America eyes $21bn infrastructure projectsBusiness Recorder, April 24, 2012 – The scheme, which will require more than $21 billion in private and public investment, was unveiled at a seminar organized by the powerful Federation of Sao Paulo State Industries (FIESP), the 12-nation Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and the Brazilian government. It calls for the construction of 2.4 kilometers (1.6 miles) of bridges, 14 kilometers of tunnels, 57 kilometers of ring roads, 360 kilometers of transmission lines, 379 kilometers of river dredging, 1,500 kilometers of gas pipelines, 3,490 kilometers of waterways, 5,142 kilometers of highways and 9,739 kilometers of railway lines…..Noting that a key challenge for Brazil was to defend its domestic industries in the face of aggressive Asian competition and a “currency war” waged by rich countries, [Brazil’s deputy minister] Simoes said South America, with its 400 million people, offered the best outlets for Brazilian goods.
[Doesn’t this sound like the Keystone Pipeline and North American Highway system? Similar efforts are underway in the ASEAN region, SAARC, the Arab League, the GCC and the African Union.]
UNASUR Countries Commit to Advance in Energy Pact – Prensa Latina, March 16, 2012 – On behalf of his country, which holds the pro tempore presidency of UNASUR, Paraguayan Minister of Public Works and Communications Cecilio Perez said a fundamental value has been granted to energy as a key element of regional integration… He added that this takes, above all, the political will of all 12 member countries, as well as trust and full exercise of sovereignty over the valuable resources of each and every nation.
S.American group rejects UK oil exploration in Falklands – Chicago Tribune|Reuters, March 17, 2012 – “The military presence of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland in the Islas Malvinas … goes against the region’s policy to seek a peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute, and (the region) reiterates its rejection of that presence,” the foreign ministers of the UNASUR grouping of South American nations said in a joint statement on Saturday in Uruguay.
Three Ocean Passways in UNASUR Plan – Prensa Latina, April 25, 2012 – The construction of three Ocean passways to join the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans are included in a 31-work plan the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) will present on Wednesday to the 12 member nations of the regional bloc. The project is expected to join the two oceans through roads, railways, and/or seaways.
Unasur Sees Financing From Multilaterals, China For Infrastructure – Wall Street Journal, Dec. 13, 2011 – The Unasur group is a political and economic alliance. It was formed in 2008 and is composed of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Peru seeks out new trade partners to boost economyPeru This Week, April 18, 2012 – The global economic crisis has strengthened Latin America’s commitment to pursuing economic growth and social inclusion on a regional level, according to Peru’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Rafael Roncagliolo….Hesaid that while the roles of organisations like the Union of South American Nations (Unión de Naciones Suramericanas, UNASUR) and the Andean Community (Comunidad Andina, CAN) had changed over the years, they still had a key part to play in areas such as intra-regional trade, improvements to transport infrastructure and resource development. “We have also integrated road infrastructure, which is crucial, as it connects north and south, Atlantic and Pacific. This is very important for developing the region.”
CENTRAL AMERICA: Nicaragua Launches Plan to Create Canal  – InfoNews, (Argentina), July 8, 2012 (Google Translation – The president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, on Saturday passed legislative decree that creates the legal status and authority of the Grand Canal Interoceanic by Nicaragua, which enables negotiations with countries interested in participating in the work. He assured that there are international conditions for the construction of the canal in reference to advances in integration processes in Latin America from Mercosur, UNASUR, SICA and the Community of American States and Caribbean (ECLAC).

Unasur Delegates gather in Lima to integrate science in the region – Vistazo (Ecuador), November 8, 2012 – The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) met on Thursday in Lima to delegates Task Force on Science, Technology and Innovation (GTECTI) of this organization to work on the integration and coordination of national science and technology, said organizers.

Cuban pharma exports could get a boost from UNASUR – Cuba Standard, Dec. 22, 2011 – Cuba’s pharmaceutical and medical exports could benefit from a decision by the just-formed Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) to centralize the purchasing of its member nations’ government healthcare systems. “In little time, in the healthcare area, the 12 countries will buy medicine en bloc,” …

South American Union’s Left Turn Is Bad News – The Foundry (Heritage Foundation), June 13, 2012 – In a ceremony in Bogota on June 11, the position of Secretary General of UNASUR passed from Colombian Maria Emma Mejia to Venezuela’s Ali Rodriguez. An ex-Marxist guerrilla, former foreign and energy minister, and former Ambassador to Cuba, the anti-American Chavista will serve as General Secretary for the next year.

The Distinguishing Features of Latin America’s New Left in Power: The Governments of Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales, and Rafael Correa – Venezuelanalysis, Jan. 17, 2012 – Similarly, the presidents of Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador define themselves as anti-capitalist and have often clashed with Washington but also act in unison with moderate governments, such as Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay….Latin American unity has brought the “radical” and moderate presidents together with centrist ones around common pursuits, such as the creation of UNASUR and its broader based successor, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

600 million vs. USA – Pravda, Dec. 27, 2011 – In December, the leaders of 33 American countries situated southward of US borders gathered in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. The leaders signed the agreement about the establishment of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)….It sees no ties with the Anglo-Saxon “North” and eyes the cooperation with the “South” – China, first and foremost. China supported the establishment of the CELAC.

Argentina renews claims over Malvinas in anniversary of British occupation – Buenos Aires Herald, Jan. 3, 2012 – It added that the “region has unanimously rejected the military presence of the British in the South Atlantic and has showed its concern over the unilateral activities by several announcements of the Mercosur Presidents and associated states, the South American Nations Union (UNASUR), Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Ibero-American.”

Latin America’s message to the Arab world – Aljazeera, Dec. 9, 2011 – Unasur is also still in the beginning; for the moment it is essentially a forum….So it’s up to Latin Americans to perfect their democracies, advance their own regional integration and….share their experience with their Middle Eastern brothers and sisters in the global South.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                [The Arab League, like the African Union, is lagging behind UNASUR and other regions in the trek toward political “regionalization.” That is the real reason why the United States has troops in the Middle East and Africa.]

Unasur Joins United Nations as ObserverVenezuelanalysis.com, October 26, 2011 – The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) transcended the continental sphere to become a global institution by gaining a seat at the United Nations as an observer, a status which allows it to join UN work.

Venezuela Calls for Regional Mechanisms to Guarantee Human Rights – Venezuelanalysis, May 8, 2012 – Venezuela’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nicolás Maduro, called on countries in the region to create institutions to defend human rights within organizations like the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR)….Maduro, who attended a UNASUR ministerial meeting in Cartagena, Colombia, highlighted the need to dismantle the Washington-based Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and its court because they are subdued to U.S. interests, reported the Spanish news agency EFE.

The U.S. Southern Command crawls through South America
Bolpress (Bolivia), June 16, 2012 (Google Translation) – The U.S. Army has signed 126 contracts worth more than $ 12 million for construction at military installations in [Columbia]. Some of these contracts…were signed after the Constitutional Court held invalid the treaty that allowed Washington, through the Southern Command, to use and adapt the seven bases. In the presence of this in the region, UNASUR has reiterated its commitment to prevent “interference in the sovereignty of Latin American peoples”…

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