The Foreign Service Journal, June 2011

J U N E 2 0 1 1 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 31 taining a constructive relationship, however, may demand greater effort and attention than either country has put forth to date. Both governments need to bet- ter understand the interests, priori- ties and positions of the other on the full range of regional and global is- sues. They also need to consult rou- tinely and inform the other of proposed decisions and actions. Systematic consultation, for example, might have averted (or reduced the intensity of) the clashes over the Brazil-Turkey-Iran negotiations and the U.S. Colombia se- curity agreement. In particular, Washington and Brasilia need to work harder to find opportunities for cooperation. Modest ini- tiatives, such as the 2010 U.S.-Brazilian defense accord or this year’s agreement to jointly develop an aviation biofuel, may strengthen the bilateral relationship. But the two countries can and should be far more ambitious. Unavoidably, Brazil and the United States will play major roles on the increasingly urgent issue of climate change. What role Brazil chooses to play will have an enor- mous impact on a whole host of in- ternational environmental challen- ges. Brasilia can take much of the credit for one of the few achieve- ments of the December 2009 Copenhagen climate change talks: the Global Forest Protection Fund. But it is hard to know whether the two countries will be allies on these is- sues until there is consensus in Washington on U.S. cli- mate change policy. No one should think U.S.-Brazil relations will be easy to manage in the short or medium term. Both countries will continue to experience frustration and disappointment, and conflict may be more common than cooperation. All that should be expected, however, when any two powerful countries deal with one another. F O C U S Both governments will play major roles in the increasingly urgent issue of climate change. Buy all your travel guides, language books and pleasure reading through the AFSA bookstore. Buy the Amazon Kindle and download and read first chapters for free before you decide to purchase that new book. When you access Amazon.com through our bookstore all your purchases will benefit AFSA at no additional cost to you. Find State Department and AFSA Reading Lists Online at www.afsa.org/fs_reading_list.aspx Start your purchase on our site: www.afsa.org/fs_reading_list.aspx