Obama in Brazil to strengthen economic, political and social ties

According to the White House spokesman, Jay Carney, the objectives of president Barack Obama’s trip to Brazil are economic, political and social. The president will deal with a wide variety of issues in these areas with officials, business leaders and citizens, explained Carney.

Brazil is one of the few countries the United States is currently running a trade surplus with (last year it was almost $8 billion; five years ago, in 2006, Brazil had a $10 billion trade surplus with the US). So, on one hand, the Americans are really excited about partnership and cooperation opportunities in the booming Brazilian economy (now the seventh biggest in the world). On the other hand, the Brazilians are eager to reduce imports from the US and get back to a surplus. A Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement (TECA) will be signed and it will make it easier for both sides to move ahead with their trade objectives.  Trade expansion is seen (by both sides) as the path to more jobs and growth.

The political side of the trip is recognition of the rise of Latin America in world affairs and, especially, the leadership role of Brazil.

Two days from the arrival of Obama officials from both countries are hammering out the details of between 10 and 20 agreements and memorandums that will be signed on Saturday in Brasilia. Some of them still face hard technical and legal obstacles.

The American president’s entourage will consist of around a thousand people. The president will be accompanied by his wife, Michelle, and two daughters.

There is an undeniable symbolic aspect to the visit. America’s first Afro-American president meets Brazil’s first female president. There will definitely be a strong commitment by both governments to combating racial and gender discrimination, along with recognition of Brazil’s efforts to raise its poor out of poverty and make them participating citizens who are able to receive the benefits of citizenship (“inclusão social”).

In Brasilia, Obama will deal with business and politics. He will meet business leaders from both countries at two different moments: a business forum (“Fórum Empresarial Brasil-Estados Unidos”) with 400 and a more intimate meeting with selected CEOs. Topics the president will discuss include renewable energy, such as ethanol (although the US will not reduce import barriers on Brazilian sugarcane-based ethanol, preferring to continue with corn-based ethanol) and investments in infrastructure in Brazil uniting the public and private sector. Among the opportunities: partnerships in the World Soccer Cup and Olympics Games that Brazil will host in 2014 and 2016, respectively.

As he did in Berlin in 2008 and in Cairo in 2009, Obama will make a public speech in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, March 20. Without a doubt he will stress the common interests and shared values of Brazil and the United States, emphasizing the countries’ similarities: historical backgrounds, large size, diverse populations and democratic traditions. The speech will be shown on large screens with translation.