[kj] (OT) Brazil, Canada or Bust - Civilzations wax and wane

[n0153 jr]

I have a fear of a planet where Brazil is a potency.
But then again, insert any country you wish in that sentence and it still
mirrors my feelings.




On Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 2:42 PM, folk devil <folk.devil at hotmail.com> wrote:


>

> http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/10-signs-the-us-is-losing-its-influence-in-the-western-hemisphere-535456.html?tickers=eem,ewz,fxi,eeb,jjm,^dji,xle<http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/10-signs-the-us-is-losing-its-influence-in-the-western-hemisphere-535456.html?tickers=eem,ewz,fxi,eeb,jjm,%5Edji,xle>

>

> Yahoo, I know...

>

> 10 Signs The U.S. Is Losing Its Influence In The Western Hemisphere:

>

> Provided by the Business Insider <http://www.businessinsider.com/>:

>

> Even if the U.S. hadn't crashed into a financial crisis, there are

> demographic, material, and political forces that have been spreading power

> around the Americas for decades.

> Brazil is first among the BRICs (Brazi, Russia, India, and China) -- four

> economies that are supposed to overtake the six largest Western economies by

> 2032.

> Mexico is first among the MAVINS (Mexico, Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia,

> Nigeria, and South Africa) -- six economies we expect to blow away

> expectations and become leading powers in their regions relatively soon.

> Canada and Venezuela are oil powers of the distant future.

> Peru and Chile are sitting on a fortune of metals and minerals.

> All these countries are cranking up, while America faces plenty of fiscal

> and demographic problems at home.

> Here are Signs the U.S. Is Losing Its Influence In Its Own Backyard<http://www.businessinsider.com/15-signs-that-america-is-losing-control-of-the-western-hemisphere-2010-5#our-most-powerful-regional-ally-brazil-refuses-to-follow-our-orders-on-iran-1>

> :

> *Our most powerful regional ally--Brazil--refuses to follow our orders on

> Iran*

> Hillary Clinton went to Brazil to beg support for sanctions against Iran

> and came away empty handed.  Now the UN is counting on Brazil, which is

> friendly with America and Iran, to lead nuclear diplomacy.

> *The World's Richest Man is now a Mexican, not an American.*

> For the first time in 16 years, the World's Richest Man is not an American.

> Carlos Slim, worth $54 billion, is the first Latin American to hold that

> title and one of many emerging market billionaires to eclipse the U.S.

> *Three years after a US financial crisis, Latin America is again growing

> rapidly. The U.S.? Not so much...*

> Compare this to what happened during the Great Depression. Latin America

> was devastated when U.S. investment dried up and the export market soured in

> the 30s. A League of Nations report said Chile, Peru, and Bolivia suffered

> the world's worst depression.

> Today is quite different. Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico have led a buoyant

> recovery from the global recession, according to Reuters. The regional

> economy is expected by the UN to grow 4.3 percent in 2010. If the American

> consumer remains weak, Latin American exports will move elsewhere.

> *Chile produces 300% more copper than America--the former world leader in

> copper production*

>

> America used to lead the world in copper production. We produced 49% of the

> world's copper in 1929, according to this article from the archives.<http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9HYQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AJIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7204,165880&dq=copper+production&hl=en>

> Today we produced 1.2 million tonnes yearly, compared to 5.4 million tonnes

> in Chile.

> *Brazil now produces over four times as much iron ore as the U.S.. We used

> to lead that industry, too.*

> America once led the world in iron mining. In 1892 we discovered the

> world's largest mine at the Great Lakes Mesabi Range. It was a wellspring

> for America's industrial might and the foundation of the rust belt.

> Now we claim reserves at 2,100 mt. Seven countries claim higher reserves,

> including Brazil at 8,900 mt.  We produce only 54 mt yearly, while Brazil

> produces 250 mt.

> *Canada and Venezuela will pass the U.S. in oil production in the next

> decade*

> America produces around 9 million billion barrels of oil a day. Venezuela

> and Canada each produce around 3 million.  But America's reserves are 21

> billion barrels and may last less than a decade. Our oil-rich neighbors

> claim 99 billion bbl and 178 billion bbl, respectively, and will keep

> producing oil into the distant future.

> *Now Brazil exports over twice as much beef as we do*

> America used to lead the world in beef production. Although we still do,

> America exports only 800,000 mt of beef per year. Brazil exports 2,200,000

> mt.  Here's some ironic excerpts from a 1911 NYT article: "American-Canadian

> syndicate to have world's largest beef plant in Brazil... The chilled beef

> industry has never been tried before in Brazil and has only recently gotten

> under way in Argentina."

> *Brazil is now a critical partner for Russia, India, and China*

> The acronym coined by Goldman Sachs to describe the four key emerging

> powers has taken on a life of its own.  Brazil, Russia, India, and China

> have held several summits and even discussed making a supranational currency

> -- that would pull the rug out from the U.S. dollar.

> What's important here is that global emerging powers have good relations

> and are inclined to work together. For instance, China just signed major

> contracts to build factories and high-speed rail in Brazil.

> *Brazil, Canada, and Mexico all invest a greater share of GDP in clean

> energy*

> A Pew survey found that Brazil invests 0.37% of its economy in clean

> energy. Canada invests 0.25% and Mexico invests 0.14%.  America is eleventh

> in the world at 0.13%.

> *Hugo Chavez is still in power*

> The CIA has a notorious history of interventions in Latin America,

> supposedly targeting Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán, Fidel Castro, Manuel Noriega,

> Rios Montt, Che Guevara, and many others.  But they haven't stopped Hugo

> Chavez from railing against the United States for years. Clearly America has

> adopted a more passive regional strategy.

>

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