Observing Brazil - US Relations

Ideological aspects apart, the Brazil – U.S. relationship is good. Lula has a good personal relationship with President George W. Bush. To some White House officials, their main concerns towards Brazil in the moment are:

-          Knowing better who are the candidates for the Presidential campaign in 2010;

-          Having more information about Lula`s Chief of Cabinet, Dilma Rousseff;

-          Having information on how Brazil will deal with the new Paraguayan President, Fernando Lugo;

-          How Brazil is dealing with piracy in the triple frontier (Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil).

The trade balance is good and the U.S is still the most important commercial partner to Brazil, although its participation has diminished due to Brazil`s policy of diversification of trade partners. I don`t believe Brazil will prioritise South-South relationships for simple reasons: during this second term, Lula is acting more independently than during the first term. He is more pragmatic and less caring for ideological aspects of some colleagues. Pragmatically he knows that diversifying the trade balance is important, but we cannot diminish our relationship with the United States or Europe. Focusing on Latin American unity is also important, but Lula also recognizes that we are far ahead our neighbors and that they can be more sources of problems than of solutions.

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