Gabrielle Trebat, managing director for Brazil and the Southern Cone at McLarty Associates: “The U.S.-Brazil relationship appears poised for a new era of cooperation on issues of the environment, climate change, democratic governance and human rights on the eve of the inauguration of President-elect Lula. Certainly, the issue of climate and deforestation shows to be a promising area of closer bilateral cooperation. Lula has made clear he will seek to reaffirm Brazil’s global leadership on climate action and environmental protection, choosing to attend COP27 in Egypt as his first international trip as president-elect. His appointment of a seasoned diplomat and former ambassador to Washington, Mauro Vieira, as minister of foreign relations signals that Lula will likely pursue a foreign policy strategy that promotes south-south cooperation, closer regional integration and a calibrated approach to engagement with the United States, China, Russia and Europe. Given China’s status as Brazil’s most important trading partner, the United States should expect Brazil to avoid…”