Brazil President Dilma Rousseff has taken a dramatic step in protest of NSA spying against her country, canceling a coveted state visit to the United States pending a more thorough explanation and apologies. This editorial from Brazil’s Folha calls the step ‘reasonable and innocuous’ – and a way to avoid the embarrassment of having more revelations of espionage emerge while she is visiting the White House.
The Folha editorial says in part:
The visit to Washington would have undeniable symbolic importance, but would do nothing to address issues of concrete relevance to the national agenda, such as supporting Brazil’s claim for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, announcements of investments and trade agreements, or even an end to visas for Brazilian tourists.
If there was more at stake, pragmatism would undoubtedly have prevailed, and the meeting would have gone forward.
There is also another aspect that shouldn’t be overlooked: the risk that during the visit, new revelations based on documents obtained by whistleblower Edward Snowden, former American intelligence analyst, would be made public.
In the present case, it would be an even greater embarrassment for Brazil if the meeting was held – pardon the quip – just to give the Americans an even closer look.
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