What does Brazil need to enter a new era of trade deals?

Since Mercosur and the European Union (EU) agreed on a free trade deal in June, the Brazilian government has announced its desire to expedite plans to open up the country’s economy by signing other such deals. But negotiating with other governments may prove to be the easier step in the long road to establish a new era of “unbiased trade”, promised by the government.

According to plans announced by Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo, Brazil will target trade deals with economic heavy-weights like the EFTA countries (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein), Canada, South Korea, and Singapore. President Bolsonaro himself said during the G20 that Brazil has also proposed a free trade agreement with the United States, in a meeting with President Donald Trump. 

But in order to achieve this, Brazil must first untangle its relationship with Mercosur. Before the deal with the EU was struck, the South American trade...