Foreign Policy and Regional Integration in Argentina: A Long and Winding Road
Argentinean economic and (particularly) foreign policies are often described as erratic. Indeed, the appointment of more than 50 ministers of foreign affairs between the mid-1940s and the late 1980s surely contributes to that view.1 Pundits explain this ‘erratic’ positioning as a fluctuation between contradictory poles, such as ‘Western alignment’ or the formulation of populist nationalist and non-alignment policies (Vacs, 2003, p. 289). What is erratic is, of course, a relative matter, both concerning variables of reference and in the (inevitable) comparison with other countries. However, with regard to regional integration there seems to be an established opinion that the ‘erratic pattern’ is less prominent. In fact, in this area, many pundits seem to agree that pro-integration polices have been an anomaly, even during periods when the lines of action were distanced from Western powers. Argentinean foreign policy had a more autonomous positions vis-a-vis big powers.
The Challenge of Cooperation: Argentina and Brazil, 1939–1955
Abstract This article analyses the variables shaping economic relations between Argentina and Brazil in the 1939–5 5 period, namely changes in the international economy, bilateral trade, the industrial structure and domestic politics. It is argued that although rivalry prevailed in most of the period this was qualified by the interest of Argentina and Brazil in securing the gains from trade and in enhancing their position in the international system. The balance of these contending forces was a pattern of limited or restrained cooperation. If significant trade concessions were offered, their institutional framework remained unstable and fragile. This was reflected in the uncertainty that plagued bilateral trade and in the failure of more ambitious initiatives aimed at economic integration, as those proposed in the Pinedo Plan and in the economic union agreements of 1953–54.
Calyculins and Related Marine Natural Products as Serine-Threonine Protein Phosphatase PP1 and PP2A Inhibitors and Total Syntheses of Calyculin A, B, and C
Calyculins, highly cytotoxic polyketides, originally isolated from the marine sponge Discodermia calyx by Fusetani and co-workers, belong to the lithistid sponges group. These molecules have become interesting targets for cell biologists and synthetic organic chemists. The serine/threonine protein phosphatases play an essential role in the cellular signalling, metabolism, and cell cycle control. Calyculins express potent protein phosphatase 1 and 2A inhibitory activity, and have therefore become valuable tools for cellular biologists studying intracellular processes and their control by reversible phosphorylation. Calyculins might also play an important role in the development of several diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and type 2-diabetes mellitus. The fascinating structures of calyculins have inspired various groups of synthetic organic chemists to develop total syntheses of the most abundant calyculins A and C. However, with fifteen chiral centres, a cyano-capped tetraene unit, a phosphate-bearing spiroketal, an anti, anti, anti dipropionate segment, an α-chiral oxazole, and a trihydroxylated γ-amino acid, calyculins reach versatility that only few natural products can surpass, and truly challenge modern chemists’ asymmetric synthesis skills.