The Brazil-US Crisis: Another Step Backward in 21st Century Strategy?

09/20/2013

by Robbin Laird

In a recent Washington Post treatment of the cancellation of the visit to Washington of the Brazilian President, the event was treated as a non-event.

Indeed, it was seen almost as the action of an hysterical, desperate woman unable to get her way.

But hidden in the lack of analysis is a systemic bias in the treatment of the U.S. global position – the U.S. remains the epicenter of the universe within which others aspire to enter.

What is lost is the sense of reality – the U.S. can achieve real global power in the next decade of the 21st century only by working with key regional influentials and shaping realistic policies, which allow the US to protect or advance its interests…..

China is augmenting its influence in Latin America in important ways, such as its expanded role in the Argentinian aerospace industry.

China certainly as a fellow member of the BRIC club will build upon the NSA crisis to augment its own position on the need to control the Internet and penetration of US media within BRIC societies.

And the Brazilian government will look to ways to shape limits of various web inroads into Brazil, even though the flat world folks always believe this impossible; it is not.

And of course, Brazil is a major energy player which if the United States was interested in shaping a real energy policy, the U.S. would be courting.

http://breakingdefense.com/2013/01/03/why-the-pacific-strategy-requires-an-energy-policy-for-the-weste/

Rather than pursuing an adult energy strategy, the U.S. is spending its time spying on the key Brazilian energy company.

For the complete piece go to the following link:

http://www.sldforum.com/2013/09/the-brazil-us-crisis-how-important-is-it/

For a mid-1990s UNESCO conference and publication which debated the impact of information society and national and global security and anticipated in part the current issues see the following publication:

What Kind of Security?

What Kind of Security