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India is strategically expanding its influence across the Indo-Pacific region, positioning itself as a key player in regional affairs. Three elements anchor the effort: development aid, trade and the diaspora. The country now has 20 Free Trade Agreement partners in the Indo-Pacific. The 21.8 million-strong Indian diaspora across the region is a significant source of soft power for India.
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Over two centuries, the U.S. has amassed vast economic powers across the globe during and after the two World Wars , and sanctions slowly became an effective tool it used to achieve its foreign policy goals, becoming the global emperor of sanctions.
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Venezuela's claim to the Essequibo region of neighbouring Guyana has focused world attention on yet another colonial-era border dispute. With elections coming up, the declining Venezuelan economy laying claim to newly-discovered rich oil and mineral deposits in Guyana has some traction. For Guyana, the claim to its land is non-negotiable as this developing country looks forward to accessing its own wealth. Purvi Patel, Visiting Fellow at Gateway House and Latin America expert, offers her insight.
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India’s oil consumption and imports are likely to resume their upward trajectory as the economy opens up, after a temporary drop due to the pandemic. To secure its energy needs, the country should shift course from investing in oil and gas assets of emerging economies to those of developed nations. The oil-rich Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, such as Canada, Norway, and the U.S. can be given special consideration.
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Despite major political change in Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela due to global economic tumult, it may be premature to speak of a rightward shift in Latin American politics. Yet, developments in these democracies need to be monitored carefully as India has a stake in their political stability.
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China's influence and presence in Latin America has grown rapidly in the form of trade and investment. China's growing presence is both a concern for Latin America and the U.S., which creates a window of opportunity for India
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The Indian government has undertaken a massive financial inclusion scheme to bring bank accounts to the poor. But poverty alleviation needs to be addressed at multiple levels for which the Latin American example of using targeted and customised conditional cash transfer programmes can help India
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Latin America’s economic growth has slowed down in 2014. But the region’s fundamentals are relatively strong, and have the resilience to absorb external shocks and increase growth in the coming years. However, Argentina and Venezuela face continuing uncertainty and deterioration.
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Even small Indian IT companies have managed to succeed in the Latin American market. Understanding the local culture is one of the main keys to success as illustrated in the case of Mann India Technologies, which was one of the earliest Indian entrants in the Latin American IT market.
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In 'Latin America Update' Gateway House lists some of the important events in Latin America over the past month