Wednesday 08 June 2011 | Vol.03 - No.23

Special Focus Argentina Argentine Defence Procurements; The New Developments Argentine military is a well-organized force that was constrained for years by the prolonged economic hardship that the country experienced. The country recovered and recently military is implementing a modernization plan mainly aiming at making the ground forces lighter and more responsive. In this process Argentina heavily depends on U.S. defence exports and military assistance. This is reaffirmed by the fact that US accounts for the majority of defence imports for the period 2006-2010. Other countries such as Spain, Brazil and Austria follow in exporting equipment to the Argentine armed forces. Argentina, similar to other Latin American countries, is currently increasing its defence budget. Argentine defence budget stood at US 2,211 million US dollars in constant (2009) prices in 2007. In 2010 increased and reached 3,179 according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institutes’ (SIPRI’s) estimations. ++ more send it to a friend Argentine Armed Forces in the Process of Modernization Throughout the last decade the South America’s share of world arms import increased at a robust pace. It is indicative that the region accounted for 12% of imports of major conventional weapons in the period 2006–10, compared with 9% in 2001–2005. For the same period Chile’s and Venezuela’s arm imports increased by 67% and 359% respectively. Argentina is following this trend increasing defence budget. Enhanced defence expenditure is primarily driven by modernization plans of Argentine government and the participation in peacekeeping missions. Argentine defence expenditure accounted for almost 1% of GDP for 2009 and the government is planning to increase it to 1.5% of GDP over a short period. ++ more send it to a friend How are Asian-Pacific Forces modernising firepower? As optimised artillery capabilities and extended firepower ranges are becoming increasingly crucial components on the modern battlefield, Asian and Asian-Pacific nations are looking to invest in new systems and detection equipment. Countries including India, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and South Korea aspire to implement brand new firepower programs, as recent artillery exchanges require longer range firing systems and more specific target detection tools. ++ For Further Information Press Here send it to a friend Epicos "Industrial Cooperation and Offset Projects" Epicos "Industrial Cooperation and Offset Projects" provides a unique set of online tools enabling the structure, identification and implementation of comprehensive Offsets programs, through a searchable database. By introducing different offset projects and ideas proposed by local A&D industry it ensures the optimum cost for Prime Contractors and reassures that the priorities of local industry are fully met... ++ more send it to a friend Develop a new generation ballistic protection vest integrated with a lightweight Microclimate cooling and Heating system in order to meet Future Soldier requirement and applications A company with extensive experience in the development and production of ballistic protection equipment is proposing the development of a new technology ballistic vest integrated with an advanced lightweight microclimate cooling and heating system in order to mitigate Future Soldier's heat stress, allowing them to operate safely and more effectively in all terrains and under extreme weather conditions. The new vest will thus provide ballistic protection and temperature regulation allowing for the comfort and safety of its potential users (armed forces, SWAT, police). For Further Information Contact our ICO Department send it to a friend Mini-UAV compact avionics package A leading company in the design and development of advanced avionics systems is proposing the development and installation of a miniaturized avionics package system to be used in several Unmanned Airborne Vehicle (UAV) designs. The proposed system will utilize state of the art sensors technology and it will include rate sensors, acceleration sensors, GPS, air data sensors and multiple I/O signals, all controlled and monitored by a single powerful processor. The developed system will be capable of fulfilling the related requirements of existing or new UAV designs. For Further Information Contact our ICO Department send it to a friend Epicos- Amazon Latin American Foreign Policies: Between Ideology and Pragmatism, by Gian Luca Gardini, Peter Lambert The emergence of center- left and left leaning governments throughout Latin America, the so called Pink Tide, and the growing rejection of neo-liberalism as an ideological dogma seems has been a striking feature of the Latin American political scenario in the first decade of the new millennium. This new political status stances in favour of national interests, whilst ideological discourse continues to be directed towards both domestic and international audiences with varying intensities and tones, it appears to be combined with clearly pragmatic policies and aims. This book reviews the foreign policy of eleven Latin American countries and argues that a combination of pragmatism and ideology characterises contemporary Latin American approaches to international relations. It analyses whether this is a permanent or contingent feature, what factors affect the mix of pragmatism and ideology, and whether this is an identifiable new pattern of foreign policy in Latin America. The Political Economy of Integration: The Experience of Mercosur, by Jeffrey W. Cason This book assesses South America’s most ambitious attempt at economic integration, Mercosur. It explains the main—and inherent—weaknesses of the integration effort, through explicit comparison with the European experience with integration. Jeffrey Cason argues that the three main reasons for Mercosur’s limited success are weak domestic political institutions in the member countries, vulnerability in the global political economy, and a serious imbalance in the economic and political weight of the member countries. In addition to providing this overarching explanation for Mercosur’s limitations, the book tells the story of Mercosur’s genesis, development, and frustrations. This book provides both an explanatory framework for understanding Mercosur and a story. It considers how Mercosur emerged, why it was greeted with great enthusiasm (and huge trade growth), and how it hit stumbling blocks as it sought to be more than it was capable of being. The book also focuses on how and why developing countries are inherently limited in any economic integration project. Contact the Editor: Vasileios Kyriazis e-mail: v-kyriazis@epicos.com Contact Epicos sales Department: Michael Karakatsanis e-mail: m-kay@epicos.com Download the full newsletter in a PDF format EPICOS NEWSROOM     China received $650 bln of direct foreign investment in 10 years       Direct foreign investment in China totaled $653 billion in the 2001-2010 period, the country's statistics agency said on Sunday. ++ more       NATO, Russian jets hold first ever joint exercise     NATO and Russian fighter jets began their first ever joint exercise Tuesday, teaming up in a bid to prevent attacks such as the September 11, 2001 strikes on the United States, a Polish official confirmed. ++ more       Former Cathay boss to head IATA     Former Cathay Pacific chief executive Tony Tyler will head the International Air Transport Association (IATA) from next month, the global airline body said Tuesday. ++ more       Interpol urges airlines to create passport database     Interpol urged the world's airlines on Tuesday to establish a passport database to help prevent terror attacks similar to the September 11, 2001 airline hijackings that targeted the United States. ++ more       SIA 'remains open to offers' for Virgin Atlantic     Singapore Airlines (SIA) remains open to offers for its 49 percent stake in British carrier Virgin Atlantic, chief executive Goh Choon Phong said Tuesday. ++ more