ISDS Case Map
ALBA
As US President George W Bush is about to start his Latin American tour, he will find a region very different to what it was when he took over the White House.
Antiguan Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, along with the Prime Ministers of Dominica and St. Vincent, on the weekend signed onto the Alba, a new free trade agreement from Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.
Venezuela's National Assembly approved Thursday a framework agreement on cooperation between Venezuela and Nicaragua with a view to the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (Alba).
The Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) welcomed Nicaragua as its fourth full member as the FSLN returned to power in that country, while in Ecuador, President Rafael Correa adds new support to the movement for Latin America integration.
The Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) represents the first attempt at regional integration that is not based primarily on trade liberalization but on a new vision of social welfare and equity. This report provides a detailed account, and a critical assessment, of the ALBA project to date.
It will be necessary to consider several alternative models for integration and trade between Latin American countries through several initiatives.
It could be the most significant development for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since it was established in 1967. Yet few among the regional bloc's 550 million people are even aware that they are about to have a charter for closer cooperation and economic integration.
In the last 14 months, the Bolivarian Movement of Struggle against the FTA and FTAA and its successor, the Bolivarian Movement for the Sovereignty and Integration of People, have been preparing a proposal for a debate in the Constituent Assembly which was set up the 6th of August in Sucre. It is not a legal document but a platform of minimal principles to contribute to the debate.
Rather than being a “blow” to the ALBA project, Venezuela's entry into Mercosur is clearly aimed at defending and promoting this anti-capitalist project.
Ambasadors from three Latin American nations will present in Montevideo the foundations of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), in a specialized meeting to be held at the Republic's state University.
