The FTAA and the Brazilian reality

26/10/2005 0 By Rodrigo Cintra
The econ & FLYING elites; mica and pol & iacute; Brazilian optical seem to have agreed to the options | Free Area With & eacute; commerce of Am & eacute; rich – ALCA. Nas & uacute; recent weeks some important meetings took place to discuss what should & aacute; (or should!) be the Brazilian position. A id & eacute; it would seem to prevail among those who are & HAND the side C á diplomacy, that is, the business: are as following á, the Brazil out & aacute; extremely harmed by the agreement.

The government, on the other hand, offers an excuse-explanatory by n & atilde, the take a more consistent position with the interests national Brazilians. If n & atilde; t & atilde it were; p & iacute; spins in his tell & uacute; could the AT & eacute; even convince: & Ldquo; see, at the end of the negotiations & ccedil & otilde; es, n & atilde, the are satisfied with the results, simply n & atilde, the signed & rdquo;. Those who follow the relationship & ccedil; & otilde, international es more closely know that a negotiating & ccedil; & atilde, the n & atilde this size, the results only in a great final agreement, throughout the process of negotiating & ccedil; & atilde, the parties assume commitment and & eacute; precisely what allows construction & ccedil; & atilde; the final agreement.
& Eacute; important to understand that the FTAA n & atilde; the & eacute; only a commercial issue or, very, Econ & FLYING; monkey (in the broad sense of the term). They lurk important pillars of Brazilian society as our industrial quality, Our commercial power, our willingness to participate in the world and how. In other words, the discussion & atilde; the hides on the FTAA in its discussion & atilde, the on our national project.
From the moment our discussion & otilde; es on the FTAA s & atilde, the scattered and fragment á holiday, and the government & ldquo; forget” to consult the various groups that make up society, completion & atilde, the we can come & eacute; the n & atilde; we have the national project. Yet we should be careful with the word play, to some extent we can come & aggravate; & atilde such completion, the. If we understand national project the same way you understood Get & uacute; lesson, JK e hostage, we will surely see that neither encavalemanto two terms was enough for President Fernando Henrique Cardoso drew his. But not everything & eacute; your fault.
The complex structure of pol & iacute; Fret institutional consumes much of our productive energies. entrenched powers in the maze burocr á optical and sustained by an addict social structure in the flow of goods and informs & ccedil; & otilde; s make any change & ccedil; institutional is unfeasible to imply threat & ccedil; to the powers j & aacute; solidified. A tribut & aacute reform; ria, both echoed mouth pol & iacute; Typical candidates, now echoes in the bottom of drawers in Congress. A reform Pol & iacute; tica, another flag waved for the new world now s & oacute; SPACE is, the f & oacute; runs & Acad ecirc; tamarins.
Given this situation, fragmented into pieces that tend & worse; self-exclusion & atilde, the, in the & ccedil & otilde, is the Executive (in every n & iacute; LEVELS) also em just fragmented. In a recent interview to the State (21/October / 2001, p.B4), the former Minister of Communications & ccedil & otilde; es, Luis Carlos Mendon & ccedil; a de Barros, asked if there would be enough time to set & ccedil; & atilde; that of a pol & iacute; tica consistent industrial, answer that & ldquo; as President & eacute; a realistic person, know n & atilde, the h & aacute; time to do much in this & aacute; area & rdquo;. What stands out here & eacute; precisely what is á between the lines: we are nearing the end of eight years of government and nothing p & FLYING; to be done in this á rea.
Changing this cen & aacute; n & atilde river; the & eacute; f á cyl even duty á occur in the pr & oacute; coming years (although the deadline for trades & ccedil; & otilde; FTAA is es 2005). However, this n & atilde, the in disclaims try. The discussion & otilde; s should be wide open, although it is necessary & aacute; rio beware of their par & acirc; meters. Perhaps the most important at this point is just break & ldquo; truths” which are & HAND presented as a sacred dogma.
The list & eacute; large but present some:
1- & Ldquo; The US S & atilde; very strong, so we have to give in because we will never impose our point of view & rdquo;. N & HAND it is the imposing but to negotiate. They s & atilde, the strong but not & oacute; s, in our sub-continent, também. A ALCA, for alcan & ccedil, air your goals needs our part & ccedil; & atilde, the active, then & atilde, the let's play with our relative power;
2- & Ldquo; The FTAA activate & aacute; with & eacute; in commerce Am & eacute; rich & rdquo;. certainly yes, the quest & atilde; the & eacute; know which way and, to what extent it affects & aacute; Brazilian and continental social inequality, soon be & aacute; a major source of conflict that we;
3- & Ldquo; As the FTAA enters into force, we will have access to the American dream & rdquo market;. Today, the rate m & eacute; day care & ccedil; & atilde, the US & eacute; in 3,5% while the Brazilian wheel around 14%, that is, which hurts our exports & ccedil; & otilde; s n & atilde; s & atilde, the barriers tarif á holiday by & eacute; m the phyto-sanitary á holiday and pol & iacute; tica quotas. Here & eacute; important to remember that free trade is & aacute; on & worse; possibility of the parties freely hire and n & atilde; simply & aggravate; aus & ecirc; INSTANCE rates.
Other quest & otilde; es as is & ccedil, the marks (case of Embraer and Petrobr & aacute; s); the provi & ccedil; & atilde; the government to allow the destruction & ccedil; & atilde; the inefficient productive sectors, but traditional; and infrastructure exports & ccedil; & atilde, the, including ports and systems saw á Modern & worse rivers; access to resources also & eacute; m gain their import & acirc; INSTANCE this debate. His carelessness may result in an insertion & ccedil; & atilde; the poor.
Difficulties continue and the time has come. Now depends on our dispositions & ccedil; & atilde; while the company, and the quality of our government.
Rodrigo Cintra
Sao Paulo, 24 October 2001.