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Brazil President Dilma Rousseff White House Visit Could Launch New Relationship After NSA Scandal

By Brianna Lee

“This trip is important because it puts [the Snowden] incident firmly in the past....It’s an important signal that says the path will now go forward,” explains AS/COA’s Brian Winter.

Brazil’s relationship with the United States abruptly chilled two years ago after Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff discovered the U.S. National Security Agency had tapped into Brazilian communications networks as part of its sprawling surveillance program. But now the political and economic winds have shifted, and both countries are ready to turn the page during Rousseff’s highly symbolic visit to the United States this week.

Rousseff will meet with President Barack Obama Monday evening and Tuesday in her first trip to the U.S. since she canceled her 2013 state visit over the surveillance allegations, revealed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. The trip will be a prime opportunity for her to solidify ties with the U.S. and secure crucial investor support at a time when Brazil, the world's seventh-largest economy, is reeling from economic stagnation, record-low presidential approval ratings and an ever-expanding corruption scandal.

“This trip is important because it puts [the Snowden] incident firmly in the past,” said Brian Winter, vice president for the Americas Society/Council of the Americas, in a panel discussion hosted by the AS/COA last week on Rousseff’s visit. “It’s an important signal that says the path will now go forward in a way that President Rousseff has been trying to do since she took office back in 2011.”

The timing is crucial for Brazil. After the country saw essentially flat growth last year, analysts predict the economy will contract by at least 1 percent in 2015....

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