CIAO DATE: 06/02

Geography, Markets, Resources, and Development: The Assets of the Americas Revisited

Latin America's abundant natural resources are not only commodities for export; they also are important magnets for attracting major industry to the region. The ability to join natural resource wealth with value-added industry is placing the region in a position to become one of the most important players in the global economy. The geopolitics of Latin America will undergo a dramatic transformation in the twenty-first century, as trade among the Latin American nations increases and the heartland of the continent begins to open. Intra-regional trade has become both the driving force and the benefactor of these changes. As trade increases, new arteries for commerce will open, stimulating further economic growth. With the impetus toward free trade throughout the Americas reaffirmed at the Summit of the Americas in Quebec in April 2001, it is more important than ever before to understand these forces and changes.

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