Finanças Bolivarianas

Com este título a The Economist faz uma apanhado da criação do Banco del Sur. O subtítulo é um irônico "O FMI pode dormir tranqüilo". Para o periódico, o banco é um exemplo da dificuldade de unificação da América do Sul. Enquanto Chavez despreza os técnicos, ofertando até metade das reservas da Venezuela e pensa em convidar países da África para o novo banco, o Brasil insiste numa assessoria.

"Brazilian diplomats have been unusually frank in revealing their lack of enthusiasm for the new institution. They fear it may give soft, politically driven loans that go unpaid. Brazil already has its own well-endowed development bank, the BNDES, whose lending of 62.5 billion reais ($37 billion) in the 12 months to September was 50% greater than that of the World Bank in the same period.

The Brazilians have gone along with the project only because they feel they cannot remain outside any new South American institution, especially one with money. But they have worked to limit the bank's remit and to slow its creation.

Mr Chávez can count on the vote of Bolivia and maybe that of Ecuador on the bank's board. But other members are likely to side with Brazil—and so will Chile, Colombia and Peru if they join. So expect a modest outfit that mainly finances cross-border infrastructure."