The president's announcement that Barack Obama will visit Brazil, Chile and El Salvador in March, in what will be his first trip to South America, could result in a significant improvement of relations between Brazil and the United States after a significant deterioration in both recent years. In his State of the Union to Congress, Obama announced he will visit these three countries to strengthen ties with Latin America.
I am told U.S. officials, the five-day visit will take place in the second half of March. There is no doubt that Brazil, the eighth largest economy in the world and an emerging world power, will be the largest scale of Obama's trip. Tensions between Brazil and Washington increased during the past two years the government of former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, among other things because of Brazil's diplomatic support to Iran, despite international sanctions against the Iranian regime.
But now, after the inauguration on January 1, the successor to Lula, Dilma Rousseff, a former guerrilla who was chief of staff of Lula, U.S. officials hope to rebuild bilateral ties. In a telephone interview, the chief White House advisers for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Dan Restrepo, told me that Rousseff "has made clear in public statements that he wants to continue and strengthen our relationships.
One of the reasons why we go to Brazil just begun his presidency is that we see an opportunity to continue and deepen the relationship at the highest level.'' Restrepo did not elaborate, but other observers from Brazil are some clues that Rousseff foreign policy will be less hostile to the Lula Washington in the last years of his mandate.
These signs include:-Rousseff has taken away from Lula's close ties with the Iranian regime. Among other things, Rousseff not support the stance of Lula during his failed attempt at mediation around the Iranian nuclear program. Rousseff also suggested that disagrees with his predecessor's decision not to condemn human rights abuses in Iran.
"In recent weeks, U.S. and Brazilian officials have cooperated closely to address the political crisis in Haiti after the disputed results of the November elections, I am told U.S. diplomats close to the negotiations. "Rousseff named Antonio Patriota, a respected former Brazilian ambassador to Washington, for the post of foreign minister.
In a recent speech, Patriota said Brazil will continue to develop ties with other developing countries, but "not at the expense''of its relations with the United States and Europe. "Rousseff have greatly valued the decision of the Secretary of State, United States, Hillary Clinton, to attend his inauguration on January 1, despite the fact that Clinton had to travel early in the morning, with little time to rest after the celebration of year-end December 31.
"There is a real change in Brazil, an effort to reconnect with the United States,''said Paulo Sotero, Brazil Program Director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, based in Washington." It is a new stage in bilateral relations after episodes that hurt in the past two years.'' U.S.
officials say that in Brazil, Obama will discuss possible plans for cooperation in renewable energy, support for Haiti's reconstruction and matters related to public safety, including offers of U.S. aid to improve security during the World Cup Cup 2014 and 2016 Olympic Games, to be held in Brazil.
My opinion: I was surprised that on this trip Obama not calling in Colombia, the closest U.S. ally in the region in recent years. U.S. officials tell me that Obama is due to attend the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena (Colombia) in April 2012, and it is likely that at that time made an official visit to that country.
For now, all eyes of the diplomatic community in the region will be fixed on Obama's visit to Brazil. Probably will not see any dramatic announcement: Brazil will continue its policy of strengthening ties with the Third World, as part of its plan to become a global power. However, economic and diplomatic weight of Brazil in the region, including a minimum rapprochement with Washington would have a significant impact on U.S.
relations with Latin America. 
I am told U.S. officials, the five-day visit will take place in the second half of March. There is no doubt that Brazil, the eighth largest economy in the world and an emerging world power, will be the largest scale of Obama's trip. Tensions between Brazil and Washington increased during the past two years the government of former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, among other things because of Brazil's diplomatic support to Iran, despite international sanctions against the Iranian regime.
But now, after the inauguration on January 1, the successor to Lula, Dilma Rousseff, a former guerrilla who was chief of staff of Lula, U.S. officials hope to rebuild bilateral ties. In a telephone interview, the chief White House advisers for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Dan Restrepo, told me that Rousseff "has made clear in public statements that he wants to continue and strengthen our relationships.
One of the reasons why we go to Brazil just begun his presidency is that we see an opportunity to continue and deepen the relationship at the highest level.'' Restrepo did not elaborate, but other observers from Brazil are some clues that Rousseff foreign policy will be less hostile to the Lula Washington in the last years of his mandate.
These signs include:-Rousseff has taken away from Lula's close ties with the Iranian regime. Among other things, Rousseff not support the stance of Lula during his failed attempt at mediation around the Iranian nuclear program. Rousseff also suggested that disagrees with his predecessor's decision not to condemn human rights abuses in Iran.
"In recent weeks, U.S. and Brazilian officials have cooperated closely to address the political crisis in Haiti after the disputed results of the November elections, I am told U.S. diplomats close to the negotiations. "Rousseff named Antonio Patriota, a respected former Brazilian ambassador to Washington, for the post of foreign minister.
In a recent speech, Patriota said Brazil will continue to develop ties with other developing countries, but "not at the expense''of its relations with the United States and Europe. "Rousseff have greatly valued the decision of the Secretary of State, United States, Hillary Clinton, to attend his inauguration on January 1, despite the fact that Clinton had to travel early in the morning, with little time to rest after the celebration of year-end December 31.
"There is a real change in Brazil, an effort to reconnect with the United States,''said Paulo Sotero, Brazil Program Director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, based in Washington." It is a new stage in bilateral relations after episodes that hurt in the past two years.'' U.S.
officials say that in Brazil, Obama will discuss possible plans for cooperation in renewable energy, support for Haiti's reconstruction and matters related to public safety, including offers of U.S. aid to improve security during the World Cup Cup 2014 and 2016 Olympic Games, to be held in Brazil.
My opinion: I was surprised that on this trip Obama not calling in Colombia, the closest U.S. ally in the region in recent years. U.S. officials tell me that Obama is due to attend the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena (Colombia) in April 2012, and it is likely that at that time made an official visit to that country.
For now, all eyes of the diplomatic community in the region will be fixed on Obama's visit to Brazil. Probably will not see any dramatic announcement: Brazil will continue its policy of strengthening ties with the Third World, as part of its plan to become a global power. However, economic and diplomatic weight of Brazil in the region, including a minimum rapprochement with Washington would have a significant impact on U.S.
relations with Latin America.
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