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Brazil & Southern Cone - March 2011 (ISSN 1741-4431)

PARAGUAY: The foreign ministry's woes

Paraguayan foreign ministers often find themselves in uncomfortable positions given the country's position within the Southern Cone Common Market (Mercosur), where it is regularly bullied by its larger commercial partners, Argentina and Brazil. During democratisation between 1993 and 2008, the country was controlled by the Asociación Nacional Republicana-Partido Colorado (ANR-PC, Colorados) providing political continuity. This, however, did not translate into a coherent and politically independent foreign policy designed to best defend the country's interests. The arrival of President Fernando Lugo after his historic electoral defeat of the Colorados in 2008 was deemed as a good opportunity for Paraguay to establish and consolidate a new foreign policy with country's best interests at heart. Three years on, however, it appears that the opportunity has been largely missed.

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