Foreign Policy Blogs

Brazil

Lula, the Squid

Lula, the Squid

In Brazil, nicknames are very common, especially for famous people and even politicians. President Lula da Silva received his nickname when he was  young, since the common nickname for Luiz, his given name, is Lula (similar to calling a person named Robert, Bob). However, given that lula means squid in Portuguese, the president has really […]

read more

Can Brazil Deal with Iran?

Can Brazil Deal with Iran?

Had the Brazilian government not insisted in its policy of engagement with Iran, despite the crescendo of criticism lodged by the likes of Oppenheimer, then everyone’s cards would already be on the table with little room for negotiations. Let’s just hope that the newcomer, Brazil, is holding the best card in the house.

read more

The Race to the Presidency

The Race to the Presidency

Brazil’s success in diplomacy, international commerce, and becoming a world player have been in part dependent on President Lula’s success during his administration. Now, with an election coming up this year, there is a possibility that the tides will change and Brazil may change its course with new leadership. José Serra, the governor of São […]

read more

The Cotton Conflict

The Cotton Conflict

After years of decisions and appeals before the World Trade Organization, Brazil is preparing to levy sanctions on U.S. imports and intellectual property rights because of illegal export subsidies provided by the U.S. government to domestic cotton producers. Brazil initially brought the case before the WTO to demonstrate the harmful impact of such subsidies upon […]

read more

Cosan, Shell, and the Biofuel Bonanza

Cosan, Shell, and the Biofuel Bonanza

Much of this deal is about Brazil’s own domestic market, but it is also proof of the biofuel bonanza as both Cosan and Shell prepare for a global market in ethanol.

read more

Brazil's Son

Brazil's Son

Lula, o Filho do Brasil, the film by Fabio Barreto that was recently released in Brazil, has been controversial since its release. The biopic about President Lula da Silva has come under fire for various reasons, including the plot and the political message. While President Lula is a popular president with high approval ratings, the […]

read more

Lula and Brazil’s World Social Forum

Lula and Brazil’s World Social Forum

The 2003 WSF put the movement on map, in large measure because President-Elect Lula chose to emphasize his larger than Brazil leadership making an historic speech at this unique global gathering of social movement activists before boarding a jet to Davos where he called on world leaders from the corporate world and government to combat poverty and make the institutions of global authority more accountable and democratic. Lula was the perfect interlocutor between the rice and bean rebels of the WSF and the champagne soaked elite of Davos.

read more

For Haiti, Brazil and the United States Need to Get it Right, Now

For Haiti, Brazil and the United States Need to Get it Right, Now

Can Brazil find its proper role in the long term efforts to rebuild Haiti and send it along a path to peace and prosperity

read more

Brazil's Opportunity in Haiti

Brazil's Opportunity in Haiti

When disaster struck in Haiti this week with a massive earthquake that devastated the capital, Brazil was given an opportunity to step up to the plate and show its international leadership. In reality, Brazil has been working in Haiti for nearly five years, since June 2004. The Brazilian army heads the UN peacekeeping forces, as […]

read more

The Poor Shall Inherit Brazil

The Poor Shall Inherit Brazil

Brazil’s Cash Assistance Program to Reduce Poverty For centuries Brazil promised prosperity amidst the constant plague of poverty and inequality. Forty years ago, the country’s military dictatorship managed to achieve the perplexing “Brazilian miracle” in economic growth, averaging 11 percent a year between 1968 to 1973, in part by concentrating income and deepening poverty to […]

read more

Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants

Since the 1980s, the Brazilian government has offered amnesty to illegal immigrants in four different campaigns, benefiting tens of thousands of foreigners living in Brazil. The latest campaign began in July 2009 by presidential decree, and though it officially ended at the close of 2009, some cases are still pending. Until now, 41,816 foreigners received […]

read more

Mr. Shannon goes to Brasilia

Mr. Shannon goes to Brasilia

Finally after seven months of a senate hold on his ambassadorial confirmation, veteran diplomat Thomas Shannon goes to Brasilia to smooth out the rougher edges of U.S.-Brazil relations and steer these two nations toward greater cooperation on such pending issues as energy and climate change, bilateral commerce, the Iran nuclear program, the G-20 deliberations, and […]

read more

Tegucigalpa, Tehran, and a Few Reflections on Brazilian Foreign Policy

Tegucigalpa, Tehran, and a Few Reflections on Brazilian Foreign Policy

              It should not surprise anyone that President Lula’s foreign policy would come under greater scrutiny during an election year to determine his successor. What is shocking is the stark contrast between the government’s foreign policy to restore democratic rule in Tegucigalpa while rolling out the red carpet for […]

read more

Brazil: the Next Big Pharmaceutical Market

As Brazil’s economy has taken off, international companies have jumped at the opportunity to provide the Brazilian market with in-demand products and services. Some of the most successful areas include automobiles, home appliances (i.e. washing machines, TVs, etc), banking, and telecommunications. But according to a new study by IMS Health, the next big market in […]

read more

On the Brink of an International Crisis

On the Brink of an International Crisis

This week, one of the biggest stories in the international media about Brazil focused on the Goldman abduction case and the latest international repercussions of the case. Sean Goldman was abducted by his Brazilian mother, Bruna Bianchi, in June 2004 from New Jersey. She brought him to Rio de Janeiro under the pretext of a […]

read more