Foreign Policy Blogs

Rising Powers Weekend Update

Two “under-the-radar” stories for rising powers took place this weekend.

1.) (this one is more prominent) Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited the White House on Saturday.  The visit was amicable and jovial at times and is a good omen for positive US-Brazil relations.

2.) (not in the headlines) China and Iran signed a $3.2 billion natural gas deal.  The move not only indicates China’s ravenous appetite for energy, it also indicates the limits of the US-sponsored sanctions on Iran.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva and US President Obama in Washington.  Credit: AFP.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva and US President Obama in Washington. Credit: AFP.

 

Author

Christopher Herbert

Christopher Herbert is an analyst of foreign affairs with specific expertise in US foreign policy, the Middle East and Asia. He is Director of Research for the Denver Research Group, has written for the Washington Post’s PostGlobal and Global Power Barometer and has served on projects for the United States Pacific Command and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. He has degrees from Yale University and Harvard University in Middle Eastern history and politics and speaks English, French, Arabic and Italian.

Area of Focus
US Foreign Policy; Middle East; Asia.

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