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 Brazilian capital Brasília will host this Monday, October 27, the Mercosur Council, which is scheduled to address an agenda of controversial issues including: the global financial crisis, commercial asymmetries among country members and Uruguay's veto to former President Nestor Kirchner's for the chair of Unasur.
Finance and Foreign Affairs ministers plus presidents of Central Banks from Mercosur full and associate members are scheduled to exchange ideas about the ongoing global crisis, how to address it and if there is latitude for some regional coordination.
Paramount is also the coming November 15 Washington meeting to be hosted by US President George Bush, the first of a round of consultations hopefully leading to the re-launching of a new global financial system. Argentina, Brazil and Mexico have been invited to Washington.
The Mercosur Council VII extraordinary meeting was convened by Brazil which currently holds the group's pro tempore presidency
One of the more immediate effects of the global crisis refers to Argentina's position in trade terms, which is geared to "protect" local sensitive industries with the establishment of "filters" and an alarm system to avoid saturation of the local market, according to the Buenos Aires press.
Among the imports on the watch list are mainly Chinese products but also some from Brazil, particularly textiles and foot wear, fearing they could he highly pernicious for the Argentine industry, particularly since the Brazilian currency has lost 35% of its value since the beginning of the financial crisis.
However since Argentina and Brazil have a "strategic alliance" and Brazil is a major player in global trade affairs and in the coming round to reform the financial system, it's hard to see Buenos Aires adopting unilateral decisions. A bilateral "consensus mechanism" can be expected to be reached.
Another uncomfortable issue is the latest controversy between Uruguay and Argentina, referred to the veto imposed on Mr. Kirchner, who has been proposed as chairman of the Union of South American Nations.
Uruguay objects Kirchner's attitude during the on-going conflict over the Botnia pulp mill and pickets blocking bridges leading from Argentina to Uruguay.
"How can you trust Mr. Kirchner, when as president he was unable to ensure the free circulation of people and goods between country members, as consecrated in the Mercosur charter?" argues Uruguay.
Argentina has reacted describing Uruguay's position as "injurious" for the Argentine people, for Argentina and for Unasur members who proposed Mr. Kirchner's candidacy.
Foreign Affairs ministers are also expected to define the group's position for the coming Ibero-American summit to be held at the end of the month in El Salvador, Central America.
Mercopress
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The small, coastal town of Condé is located just a twenty minute's drive from João Pessoa, the capital of Paraíba. The Northeast of Brazil has historically been a place of encounter and mixing between peoples. For millenia groups of indigenous people fished, farmed, migrated and sometimes fought along this large, fertile area. 
The Brazilian diplo-MÁ-cia (bad diplomacy) carries on its accelerated course towards the non-acknowledgment of human rights, although sometimes it takes pleasure in saying that it does precisely the opposite. The visit of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is another example of a diplomatic omission that verges on hypocrisy. 
On July 4, 2006, representatives of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay met in Caracas to sign the protocol for the entrance of Venezuela into the Southern Common Market (Mercosur). After two and a half years, the protocol was approved by the legislative bodies of Argentina and Uruguay, and as of now it may be only days away from being ratified by the continent's economic megalith, Brazil. 
Some sectors of the fight against AIDS have suggested that Thabo Mbeki, the former president of South Africa, committed genocide through his absence from the fight against the illness in his country throughout his two terms. 
One hundred and eleven years after Brazil abolished slavery, the number of workers deprived of their freedom is still huge. They raise cattle, produce charcoal, sugar cane or timber. Some of them, most undocumented Bolivians, work in basements of small apparel factories in São Paulo and other metropolis. 
On November 7, 2009 a few friends and I had an opportunity to take a look inside a Brazilian jail outside the city of Rio de Janeiro. We were able to take some amateur footage of our experience on video (see link below). It's no surprise, of course, that the typical Brazilian jail lacks some of the functionality of those in North America or Europe, but our experience that day was quite shocking. 
Depletion of the Amazon Rainforest is not a new concern facing environmentalists, biologists, ecologists, and a growing number of the Amazonian indigenous peoples. For decades they have feared for the fate of the world's most biologically diverse and species-rich hothouse. 
Geisy Arruda made history this week in Brazil, but for all the wrong reasons. What began as a poorly planned fashion statement has become a worldwide tale. Geisy decided to wear a pink mini-dress to her private college in São Paulo state, and after that, all hell broke loose. 
The push of vigilante groups in Rio de Janeiro's favelas (shantytowns) in the last three years is the most important and alarming information of the just-released study by the Rio de Janeiro University's Violence Research Center (Nupev-Uerj). 
A dispute over drug trafficking territory in Rio de Janeiro has intensified lately, leaving in its wake unprecedented acts of violence, such as the downing of a police helicopter in the northern zone of the city on October 17. Three policemen died and another two were injured. This event has drawn the attention of the international media, who are raising the issue of public security for the 2016 Olympics to be held in Rio.
You all prove once more that you want developed countries to open more their doors to you (emergings nations) despite you already have a large trade surplus with these developed nations-
But of course ALL of you want to protect imports NOT ONLY against developed nations but even against YOUR "friends" the other emerging nations !
Better yet, against developed nations you FORCE them to set up plants IN YOUR COUNTRIES IF THEY WANT A REGULAR TAX INSTEAD OF A STIFF IMPORT TAX.
But....but...but....you are unwilling to to do the same and invest in both developed and emerging nations.
In my humble view that would become a major theme during the next decade.
Afterall the unemployment rate is nearly as high in Europe and the USA than in some emerging nations.
Why should then develop nations continue to lend you money or invest in your countries, when that money and loans is also needed now in their own countries ???????
It doesnt mean that there will be No lending, but smaller lending and higher lending rates !
Furthermore, the world equities being down as much as they are, also have the effect to create an opportunity for HIGH returns long term.
Then why invest elsewhere.
Just think about that one :
What happened AFTER the 1982 recession ? Emerging nations currencies meltdown !
What happened AFTER the 1990 recession ? Emerging nations currencies meltdown !
What happened AFTER the 1998 LTCM meltdown ? Emerging nations currencies DEVALUATIONS (ONLY) rather than currencies real meltdown !!!!!
But during these currencies meltdown, the emerging nations did not necessarily had an economic recession, but usually mostly a relatively low economic growth rate but they devalued their currencies to keep the export growth rate...in Local Currencies !
Therefore the impact was somewhat limited internally, but...but...but... when measured in US$ your GDP wealth came down sharply !!!!!
And it already started in 2008.
Thus believing the wealth gap between developed and emerging nations will continue to be reduced is just an....... HERESY !
The gap will GROW again !!!!!
Or said otherwise, for the time being GOOD BY TO THE BRIC and el al....THEORY !!!!!!
The BRIC theory came from Wall Street just as the the junk debts they issued and rated AAA !!!!!!
Last but not least :
Is Brazil so sure they wont have their lowest investment grade...DOWNGRADED !!!!!
That would mean you may go to where you came from not so long ago : JUNK(IES)