No 6 (2023)

Against the background of the main global transformations and from the point of view of Russia's interests, the article analyzes the main trends (megatrends) characterizing the state and prospects for the development of Latin American countries. The author shows the configuration of the modern regional economic order, fixes the main landmarks, problematic topics and systemic intrigues of the current strategy of economic growth. The study focuses on new phenomena that determine the vector of transformations of key sectors of the Latin American economy - industry, finance, energy, mining, agriculture. It is shown that the focus of efforts of the state and the business community is shifting towards the priority development of those sectors whose products are especially in demand in regional and world markets. In each case, the possibilities of participation of Russian companies in the process of regional modernization are identified, as well as the difficulties and barriers faced by domestic business in the acute competition for Latin American markets. Special attention is paid to the attempts of overcoming regional political delimitation and updating the mechanisms and formats of intra-Latin American trade and economic cooperation. It is proved that there is no alternative to a new unifying economic strategy of the countries of the region, which imperatively includes a reboot of the stalled integration processes. The result of the analysis is that the consolidation of the trend of changes in the Latin American economy requires from the Russian state and business in many respects innovative and comprehensively calculated foreign economic decisions that take into account the new realities of Latin America and meet the long-term national interests of Russia.

When the Justice and Development Party came to power in 2002, deep transformation processes began in Turkey’s foreign policy, turning the country not only into a regional but also a global leader. To expand the sphere of geopolitical interests and build long-term bilateral relations with Latin American countries, the Turkish government has developed a new foreign policy strategy based on the concept of “soft power”. This article analyzes the features of the Turkish "soft power" policy in Latin America, its goals and priorities, as well as implementation tools.

The basis of the positive zone of peace in the Southern Cone lies both on the expectation of the non-existence of interstate violence, and the construction of a loose regional institutionalization based on a democratic identity, the development of economic integration and regional security cooperation that projects stability beyond the Southern Cone. Despite economic tensions, political differences and international agendas with different orientations, the peaceful regional environment of the southern tip of the American continent and security and defense cooperation flourished during the first two decades of the post-Cold War era. This article presents the trajectory from the end of the Cold War to the establishment of UNASUR of regional security cooperation in the Southern Cone focusing on two dyads, the bilateral relations of the Argentine Republic with both the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Republic of Chile.

Based on published sources and relevant literature, the article examines the relations of socialist Yugoslavia with the countries of Latin America in the period of 1960-1980’s. The main part of the article is preceded by a short review of Yugoslavia’s contacts with Latin America in the first post-war years. The authors analyze the features of the political, economic, cultural and educational interaction between Yugoslavia and the countries of the region. Particular attention is paid to the role of the Non-Aligned Movement and Tito’s understanding of Yugoslav foreign policy in the matter of building equal, constructive and mutually beneficial relations between Belgrade and the states of the South American continent.

The publication introduces readers to a new collective study prepared by the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The review notes that the publication is a fundamental multifaceted study of political processes and the results of recent electoral cycles. The paper shows the current alignment of political forces in various countries of the region, the evolution of political regimes against the backdrop of mass social protests and the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors examine the typology of political regimes in the context of the specifics of Latin America.