A. The New Latin America in the Emerging Global Order

The first decade of the new millennium was a phenomenal one for Latin America, marked by sustained economic growth and enhanced democratic stability. Moreover, for the first time in two centuries, a financial crisis in the North did not wreak havoc in the region. Standard & Poor has thus indicated that this one may well be “the decade of Latin America”. What are the implications of this for Latin America’s role in world affairs? What can be expected of Brazil, a leading emerging power in this new phase? What will Latin America’s contribution to new entities like the G20, the “steering committee of the world economy” be? What is the significance of the new regionalism that has surfaced in the past few years? Are we witnessing an upsurge of collective diplomacy in the Western Hemisphere? How are Latin American states coping with globalization and its challenges?