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U.S. - Brazil Try to Turn Corner at Summit

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  • U.S. - Brazil Try to Turn Corner at Summit

    Much was made of the handshake between Obama and Raul Castro at this week's Summit of the Americas, but it was the U.S. Brazil relationship that really needed mending after the embarrassing spy revelations of two years ago. It's one thing to get caught spying on an official of a country that hates you anyway, but when it's a friendly nation there's far more need for damage control.

    Dilma Rousseff's reaction was proportionate; when an apology did not come she cancelled a state visit to Washington and then addressed the U.N. general assembly saying how pissed off she was and outlining the need for some kind of respect for international law. The speech really cemented her image as a tough lady not to be messed with, and may have helped her to get re-elected.

    She did not cross the line of no return and invite Snowden to come live in Brazil, even though over a million Brazilian signatures were collected in support of granting him asylum. This petition was started by friends of Snowden, who no doubt is second-guessing his flight to Moscow now that the shit has hit the fan in Ukraine. Allowing him asylum would have been petty and would turn a diplomatic row into something more permanent.

    On the surface it looks like Brazil is moving on from Snowden-gate, and the state visit is to go ahead this year in Washington.

    Obama and Rousseff meet, appear to put spy scandal behind them - LA Times
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