rather than deeply embedded in a stable trade bloc. 3.2.4 Brazil Brazil follows a differentiated and relatively autonomous trajectory. Although export volumes are moderate, Brazil maintains diversified connectivity and intermittent peaks in betweenness, particularly after 2018, indicating situational brokerage during global reconfiguration. Unlike Chile and Peru, whose trade is strongly embedded in Asian demand-centered communities, Brazil’s strategy reflects diversification and strategic autonomy (Wainer, 2023). Its engagement within the BRICS framework and emphasis on mineral sovereignty suggest a geopolitical orientation distinct from other LAC exporters (Saggioro & Curty, 2023; de Tomi et al., 2023). Brazil’s inconsistent co-membership in dominant modularity classes reinforces its role as a structurally independent actor within the global copper concentrate trade network. 3.3 Community Structure This section examines the modular community configuration of the global copper concentrate trade network, with specific focus on the structural positioning of LAC. Community detection identifies trade blocs based on relational intensity rather than geographic proximity, allowing assessment of whether LAC exporters operate within a cohesive regional cluster or are structurally embedded in globally oriented communities. As shown in Table 2, the community structure between 2010 and 2024 reveals a progressive consolidation of LAC exporters within fewer dominant communities, although not under a purely regional configuration. Table 2 - Community Composition and Global Structural Weight of Selected LAC Exporters (2010–2024) Year Selected countries grouped by community Total nodes in the community LAC nodes in the community Community share of Global Weighted Degree (%) 2010 Chile 12 1 54 Peru-Mexico 42 9 31 Brazil 41 3 13 2015 Chile-Peru 33 6 63 37
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