Diary – 26 March 2011

With the Middle East in flames and Japan in meltdown, I decided to head for Brazil. As somebody who makes a living commenting on international politics, I was worried that my choice of destination might seem eccentric. But President Obama evidently sees the world the same way. While American cruise missiles rained down on Libya, he was giving a speech in Rio, as part of a five-day tour of Latin America. There is method behind this apparent madness. The President and his advisers think that, over the past decade, the US has wasted too much time, energy, money and blood on the Middle East. They are determined to focus on new global powers. Brazil, which will soon be the world’s fifth-largest economy, is clearly near the top of the list. What is more, the Brazilians like the American president. Lula da Silva, who stepped down as Brazilian leader late last year, joked that ‘Obama looks like a Brazilian’.