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The corollary to a floundering, moribund economy in terminal decay is war-talk. And that's precisely what's happening right now under the pretext of ending Iran's nuclear program. Here's another article, this one from Friday's Financial Times on the campaign to intimidate and bribe Brazil. Hopefully, before it's too late, the left in the United States will mobilize against this campaign and stave off what appears to be, based upon the rhetoric from both sides, an increasingly inevitable war with stakes that goes way beyond the control of anyone involved. Solidarity, Shawn ----- US woos Brazil over Iran nuclear dispute By Daniel Dombey in Washington and Jonathan Wheatley in São Paulo Published: February 26 2010 20:34 | Last updated: February 26 2010 20:34 The dispute over Iran's nuclear programme is casting a shadow over the Americas as Hillary Clinton heads south to push Brazil to take a tougher approach towards Iran. The US secretary of state will on Sunday embark on a week-long tour of South and Central America. Brazil, which is deepening its ties with Tehran and resisting Washington's drive for United Nations sanctions, is to be the main focus of attention. In a preparatory move, William Burns, the state department official leading the sanctions drive, travelled to Brasília on Friday. "Brazil is an emerging power with growing influence in the region and around the world, and we believe that with that influence comes responsibility," said the state department. But, in a sign of its increasing self-confidence, the administration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva remains at odds with Washington over one of the US's top international priorities. Brazil is on the UN Security Council, where the US is looking for consensus for sanctions in coming weeks but faces additional resistance from China, Turkey and Lebanon. The Obama administration is particularly concerned about Mr Lula da Silva's calls this week for the world not to isolate Iran. The US is seeking to increase such isolation through sanctions until Tehran is more eager to negotiate. "They have largely given Iran a pass on the nuclear issue," says a US diplomat. "We see increasingly suspicions in the world as to what Iran is doing, whereas Brazil is heading in the opposite direction." Washington was dismayed to see the Brazilian president exchange hugs with his Iranian counterpart when Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad visited the country in November. Mr Lula da Silva intends to pay a return visit to Tehran in May, with increasing trade ties at the top of the agenda. Mrs Clinton also sent out a coded message to Brazil when she expressed her fears this month that Iran was "moving toward a military dictatorship". Brasília has made clear its aversion to coups within Latin America - and has been at odds with the US over what it sees as Washington's overeagerness to live with the results of a coup in Honduras last year. But Mr Lula da Silva's government is keen to set out its own diplomatic path and has bristled at international efforts in the past to divide countries into nuclear "haves" and "have nots", forging ahead with an uranium enrichment project despite reservations in the US and elsewhere. Brazil also holds out hope of a compromise on the current nuclear dispute with Iran, despite arguments from the US and its European allies that Tehran has spurned Washington's efforts at engagement. "Our view is that the possibilities for negotiation are a long way from being exhausted," said Roberto Jaguaribe, the official responsible for relations with Iran at Brazil's foreign ministry. He called for "quiet" rather than "loud" diplomacy. ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
