Security experts launched the "Transnational Crime and Security" issue (Spring 2010) of Americas Quarterly at a program that highlighted Rio de Janeiro's security challenges and innovations as it prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics.
"Rather than working with the United States, Europe, and the other BRIC nations to build a more secure global environment, Lula's gambit risks enabling an outcome that could dramatically heighten regional and indeed global tensions," writes COA's Eric Farnsworth, discussing the Brazilian President's trip to Iran.
As Brazil seeks to increase its clout on the global stage, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva traveled to Tehran this weekend to play a role in a deal that would see Iran deposit nuclear fuel in Turkey. But the deal is unlikely to curtail a push for further sanctions on Iran.
Brazil's Defense Minister Nelson Jobim traveled to Washington to sign a bilateral military agreement with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on April 12. The accord marks the frst military pact between the two countries since 1977. Gates travels this week to Peru, Colombia, and Barbados.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva this week announced a major infrastucture investment plan valued at roughly $880 billion. News of the plan could provide a boost to the political campaign of his chosen successor, Dilma Rousseff, ahead of the October 2010 election.
Americas Quarterly hosts a live chat on March 31 about how to extend technological inclusion to minorities across the hemisphere. Paulo Rogério, founder of Brazil’s Instituto Mídia Étnica, leads an online discussion addressing the underlying conditions behind exclusion from the digital revolution.
A dispute over U.S. cotton subsidies took another turn this week when Brazil announced plans to suspend intellectual property rights on some U.S. products. That and retaliatory tariff measures are slated to take effect in April, though both sides hold hopes for negotiations.