Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas
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The Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (Spanish: Alternativa Bolivariana para las Américas or ALBA - which also means 'dawn' in Spanish) is a political, social and economic cooperation and complementation project between the Latin American countries, proposed by Venezuela and Cuba as an alternative to the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA or ALCA in Spanish) proposed by the United States.
The name Bolivarian refers to general Simón Bolívar, the hero of the wars against colonial allegiance power Spain that helped several South American states or their forerunners to gain independence by rebellion.
The first agreement within this project was signed on December 14, 2004 by President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and President Fidel Castro of Cuba. Initially, the agreement was aimed at the exchange of medical resources and petroleum between both nations. Venezuela delivers about 96,000 barrels of oil per day to Cuba at very favourable prices and Cuba in exchange sent 20,000 medical staff and thousands of teachers to Venezuela's slums.
President Evo Morales of poor but gas-rich Bolivia joined the agreement on April 29, 2006.
Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega supports Nicaragua's entry into ALBA. [1]
[edit] See also
- Free trade
- Free trade area
- International trade
- PetroCaribe
- Trade bloc
- Mercosur
- Andean Community of Nations
- North American Free Trade Agreement
- South American Community of Nations
[edit] External links
- Venezuela's Answer to "Free Trade": The Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (December 7, 2006) - Focus on the Global South
- Cuba, Bolivia, Venezuela celebrate alternative to US-led trade pacts (April 30th, 2006) - Jamaica Observer
- Venezuela and the Caribbean (April 21st 2006) - Stabroek Newspaper Guyana.
- Editorial: Hugo Chávez and the Americans (May 12th 2005) - Stabroek Newspaper Guyana.
- Commentary: Is Mr Chavez's Bolivarian Alternative attractive? (February 26th 2004) - Stabroek Newspaper Guyana.
- Text of December 14, 2004 agreement between Venezuela and Cuba for the application of ALBA
- (Spanish) Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas
- (Spanish) News of ALBA
