{"id":1820,"date":"2025-07-04T18:18:06","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T18:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=1820"},"modified":"2025-07-04T18:18:06","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T18:18:06","slug":"brazil-hosts-brics-leaders-summit-in-rio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=1820","title":{"rendered":"Brazil Hosts BRICS Leaders&#8217; Summit in Rio"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Welcome back to <em>Foreign Policy<\/em>\u2019s Latin America Brief.<\/p>\n<p>The highlights this week: Brazil readies to host the <strong>BRICS leaders\u2019 summit<\/strong>, Bolivia embraces <strong>cryptocurrency <\/strong>amid an economic crisis, and Mercosur notches a <strong>new trade deal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode-fallback\">\n<h2 class=\"dek-heading\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/category\/latin-america-brief\/\">Sign up<\/a>  to receive Latin America Brief in your inbox every Friday.            <\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<form data-shortcode-newsletter=\"latin_america_brief\" class=\"newsletter-unit-signup newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode email-capture--step-1 newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode-latin_america_brief\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-latin_america_brief newsletter-shortcode-latin_america_brief\">\n<div class=\"show-on-email-capture--signed-up hide-from-newsletter-subscriber newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode--container\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-unit newsletter-row\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-latin_america_brief\">\n<h2 class=\"dek-heading\">Sign up to receive Latin America Brief in your inbox every Friday.<\/h2>\n<p>\n                        <button class=\"button\">Sign Up<\/button>\n                    <\/p>\n<div class=\"grid--flex newsletter-latin_america_brief newsletter-signup-container\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Latin America Brief sign up form\" tabindex=\"0\">\n<div class=\"buttons\">\n<div class=\"hide-from-newsletter-subscriber privacy-policy-container\">\n<div class=\"privacy-policy-acknowledge\">\n<p><small>By submitting your email, you agree to the <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/privacy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/termsofuse\/\" target=\"_blank\">Terms of Use<\/a> and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n    <label for=\"email-latin_america_brief\">Enter your email<\/label><br \/>\n    <input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" class=\"hide-from-reg hide-from-sub\" id=\"email-latin_america_brief\" aria-required=\"true\" required=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>    <button class=\"button button--signup \" data-newsletter-id=\"latin_america_brief\" data-sourceid=\"In-article unit\" type=\"submit\"><br \/>\n      <span class=\"sign-up-text\">Sign Up<\/span><br \/>\n      <span class=\"loading-text\">Loading&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n    <\/button>\n  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<hr\/>\n<p>The BRICS leaders\u2019 summit begins this weekend in Rio de Janeiro. The group of emerging economies has become increasingly relevant in world politics in recent years. But it\u2019s also more unruly than ever.<\/p>\n<p>BRICS <a href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/RegData\/etudes\/ATAG\/2024\/766243\/EPRS_ATA(2024)766243_EN.pdf\">expanded<\/a> from five to nine members in 2024 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/1\/7\/indonesia-joins-brics-group-of-emerging-economies\">added<\/a> Indonesia this year. (The acronym stands for standard-bearers Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.) In addition to the 10-member roster, Saudi Arabia regularly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/middle-east\/saudi-arabia-sits-fence-over-brics-with-eye-vital-ties-with-us-2025-05-08\/\">attends<\/a> BRICS meetings; the kingdom has not yet accepted its formal membership invitation. <a href=\"https:\/\/brics.br\/en\/about-the-brics\/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-brics?activeAccordion=8d36f8fe-39ee-4e6a-93d3-e4b3a7f08a74\">Ten other countries<\/a> have official \u201cpartner country\u201d status. A handful more are <a href=\"https:\/\/operamundi.uol.com.br\/politica-e-economia\/claudia-sheinbaum-anuncia-que-nao-participara-da-cupula-do-brics-no-rio\/\">attending<\/a> the Brazil summit as guests, including Mexico.<\/p>\n<p>The expansion is in part to blame for growing discord within the bloc. At an April BRICS foreign ministers\u2019 summit, Egypt and Ethiopia <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/china\/diplomacy\/article\/3308435\/brics-ministers-meeting-brazil-flag-serious-concern-over-trade-barriers\">blocked<\/a> a declaration backing South Africa\u2019s ambitions for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.<\/p>\n<p>But political disagreements have not watered down the group\u2019s relevance. On the contrary: Many countries have <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/07\/01\/brics-summit-southeast-asia-asean-indonesia-china-geopolitics\/\">sought out BRICS<\/a> affiliations as a means of diversifying their trade and political relationships amid unpredictability from U.S. President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Officials across the world are asking themselves: \u201cOutside of the United States, what can we do for the medium to long haul?\u201d said Sarang Shidore, the director of the Quincy Institute\u2019s Global South program. At a time when \u201cthe mood in Washington is hostile to trade,\u201d he added, BRICS is \u201cthe closest thing we have to a multilateral node for an alternative to where the superpower is going.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The United Arab Emirates is one of the bloc\u2019s new members. \u201cBRICS brings together large and fast-growing consumer markets across Asia, Africa, and Latin America,\u201d senior Emirati foreign affairs official Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh wrote in a statement to <em>Foreign Policy<\/em>. He added that membership gave the country \u201ceven more diversified access to significant economies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brazil\u2019s yearlong BRICS presidency is a chance for the country to put its stamp on the group. While BRICS has often drawn Western ire for its stances on wars in Gaza, Iran, and Ukraine, Bras\u00edlia\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br\/en\/internacional\/noticia\/2025-07\/brazil-expects-brics-push-ambitious-outcomes-cop30\">summit agenda<\/a> is focused on economic development, in particular climate finance.<\/p>\n<p>Brazil\u2019s goals include establishing new loan guarantees from BRICS\u2019s development bank, the Shanghai-based New Development Bank, finance ministry official Tatiana Rosito <a href=\"https:\/\/www1.folha.uol.com.br\/mercado\/2025\/06\/ameacas-de-trump-tem-impacto-bastante-limitado-sobre-brics-diz-secretaria-da-fazenda.shtml\">told<\/a> <em>Folha de S. Paulo<\/em>. The New Development Bank focuses on infrastructure, sustainability, and local currency operations.<\/p>\n<p>Brazil will also try to iron out climate policy differences between its members ahead of November\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/06\/27\/brazil-cop30-belem-un-climate-amazon-oil-lula\/\">COP30 U.N. climate conference<\/a> in the Amazonian city of Bel\u00e9m, Rosito added. At a U.N. biodiversity summit earlier this year, BRICS countries <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carbonbrief.org\/cop16-key-outcomes-agreed-at-the-resumed-un-biodiversity-conference-in-rome\/\">submitted<\/a> a joint proposal that served as the basis for the final summit decision on global funding of nature protection.<\/p>\n<p>While BRICS does not officially negotiate as a bloc in U.N. climate summits, \u201cwe are looking to build convergence,\u201d Rosito said. Russia has been a consistent opponent of language about moving away from fossil fuels.<\/p>\n<p>Progress on economic and climate cooperation would support an <a href=\"https:\/\/brics.br\/en\/news\/brics-is-an-extremely-important-manifestation-of-multilateralism-argues-brazilian-foreign-minister-mauro-vieira\">argument<\/a> that Brazil and India have long made to BRICS detractors: The bloc is not about opposing the West, but rather supporting developing countries. (China and Russia are <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2023\/06\/22\/brics-summit-brazil-russia-india-china-south-africa-putin-nonalignment-global-south\/\">more comfortable<\/a> with an overtly anti-Western tilt.)<\/p>\n<p>Whether Brazil succeeds at shaping BRICS\u2019s agenda will be hard to judge in a single summit. Much of the group\u2019s value lies in the face-to-face time it allows senior officials from different countries. BRICS events are \u201ca place where ideas can be tested and discussed,\u201d Shidore told <em>Foreign Policy<\/em>. Parallel private-sector events could also lead to new business connections.<\/p>\n<p>If the group increased its focus, it could achieve more than just talking. Shidore has <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/07\/02\/brics-america-first-trade\/\">pointed out<\/a> that one of BRICS\u2019 most concrete achievements\u2014the New Development Bank\u2014has grown far more slowly than a similar lender founded around the same time, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The former announced plans to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/finance\/brics-development-bank-aims-make-5-bln-loans-2024-2024-03-26\/\">lend<\/a> only around $5 billion in 2024, while the latter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aiib.org\/en\/news-events\/news\/2025\/aiib-reports-usd84-billion-2024-project-financing-underscoring-long-term-impact-through-sustainable-development-bonds.html\">lent<\/a> over $8 billion.<\/p>\n<p>Like BRICS itself, the New Development Bank has attracted new members in recent months, with <a href=\"https:\/\/colombiareports.com\/colombia-admitted-to-brics-development-bank\/\">Colombia<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/interfax.com\/newsroom\/top-stories\/111945\/\">Uzbekistan<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/indonesia-join-brics-new-development-bank-president-says-2025-03-25\/\">Indonesia<\/a> in the process of joining. Uzbekistan is a BRICS partner country, while Colombia is not an official BRICS member or partner state.<\/p>\n<p>These countries have in the past sought out lenders such as the World Bank or International Monetary Fund. But the United States is the biggest shareholder in both, and the Trump administration has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/business\/2025\/apr\/25\/imf-world-bank-talks-trump-analysis\">signaled<\/a> it might flex its influence to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2025-05-27\/china-offers-to-fund-colombia-projects-if-the-us-blocks-loans?sref=uMuyuNij&amp;embedded-checkout=true\">veto<\/a> some lending.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><strong>Friday, July 4, to Saturday, July 5: <\/strong>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Argentina.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saturday, July 5: <\/strong>U.S. Temporary Protected Status expires for beneficiaries from Nicaragua and Honduras.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sunday, July 6, to Monday, July 7: <\/strong>Brazil hosts the BRICS leaders\u2019 summit.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><strong>Mercosur\u2019s newest trade deal. <\/strong>Following the <a href=\"https:\/\/policy.trade.ec.europa.eu\/eu-trade-relationships-country-and-region\/countries-and-regions\/mercosur_en\">conclusion<\/a> of trade talks with the European Union last December, Mercosur on Wednesday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/americas\/mercosur-efta-blocs-seal-free-trade-agreement-cnn-brasil-reports-2025-07-01\/\">announced<\/a> that it had wrapped up another European trade deal. This one is with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), a group of four non-EU countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.<\/p>\n<p>Like the EU deal, the EFTA agreement had been in the works for years. Leaders <a href=\"https:\/\/valorinternational.globo.com\/foreign-affairs\/news\/2025\/06\/11\/trumps-trade-threats-fuel-momentum-for-mercosur-efta-deal.ghtml\">prioritized<\/a> it in the wake of Trump\u2019s protectionism, and it still faces internal approval in EFTA and Mercosur member countries. But the EFTA deal does not appear to face the same level of resistance from European agriculture sectors that has complicated the EU deal.<\/p>\n<p>While French farmers may yet block the EU agreement, Switzerland\u2019s economic affairs secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/buenosairesherald.com\/world\/international-relations\/mercosur-efta-announce-fta-negotiations-successfully-completed\">said<\/a> at a press conference in Buenos Aires that the Mercosur deal is \u201ca complete priority for the EFTA countries.\u201d It would remove trade barriers to more than 97 percent of exports, according to a joint EFTA-Mercosur statement.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1200202\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone none\">            <span style=\"padding-bottom:66.625%;&#10;        \" class=\"image-attachment -ratioscale\"><br \/>\n        <br \/>\n        <\/span><figcaption style=\"height:0;opacity:0;\">People line up to buy chicken in La Paz, Bolivia, on June 11.<\/figcaption><p id=\"caption-attachment-1200202\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">People line up to buy chicken in La Paz, Bolivia, on June 11.<span class=\"attribution\">Aizar Raldes\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span><!-- caption placeholder --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Bitcoin in Bolivia. <\/strong>El Salvador is known as the Western Hemisphere\u2019s biggest cryptocurrency advocate. But another country in the Americas has also recently\u2014and unexpectedly\u2014come to embrace it: Bolivia.<\/p>\n<p>Bolivian regulators for many years took a conservative stance on cryptocurrency and banned it. But amid a deep <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/features\/2025-06-13\/bolivia-s-34-year-high-inflation-leads-to-shortages-protests-before-election\">economic crisis<\/a> and dwindling dollar reserves, they reversed course last year and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/markets\/bolivia-turns-crypto-energy-imports-amid-dollar-fuel-shortages-2025-03-12\/\">allowed cryptocurrencies<\/a> for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>In March, the state energy firm said it would start using cryptocurrency to pay for energy imports. Last Friday, Bolivia\u2019s central bank said that transactions using electronic payment channels and virtual assets <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/sustainability\/boards-policy-regulation\/bolivia-crypto-transactions-up-over-530-amid-currency-woes-2025-06-27\/\">grew<\/a> over 500 percent between the first half of 2024 and the first half of 2025.<\/p>\n<p>While the use of cryptocurrencies may allow Bolivians to conduct some business, it doesn\u2019t address bigger economic problems. Annual inflation in the country stood at over 18 percent in May, and the local currency\u2019s unofficial exchange rate has fallen by around 50 percent against the dollar this year alone. Amid this volatility, Bolivia is due to hold presidential elections next month.<\/p>\n<p><strong>U.S. security strategy. <\/strong>Two recent events provide glimpses of the Trump administration\u2019s strategy for combating organized crime in Latin America.<\/p>\n<p>Ecuador and the United States have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/2025\/06\/25\/ecuadorian-drug-lord-fito-captured\/\">cooperated<\/a> on anti-crime efforts since 2024. The United States assisted Ecuadorian intelligence officers in an operation to track fugitive drug boss Jos\u00e9 Adolfo \u201cFito\u201d Mac\u00edas Villamar, the <em>Washington Post <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/2025\/06\/25\/ecuadorian-drug-lord-fito-captured\/\">reported<\/a>; last Wednesday, he was captured. While U.S. security assistance often militarizes law enforcement in the region, no one was killed during Fito\u2019s arrest.<\/p>\n<p>In Mexico, the United States tested a different approach. Also last Wednesday, the Treasury Department <a href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/news\/press-releases\/sb0179\">banned<\/a> certain U.S. transactions with three Mexican financial institutions\u2014two banks and one brokerage firm\u2014accusing them of helping move money for fentanyl smuggling. Each of the two banks accounts for less than 1 percent of Mexico\u2019s financial system.<\/p>\n<p>The sanctions came as a shock to the Mexican government. President Claudia Sheinbaum <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/vector-intercam-cibanco-cartels-money-laundering-sheinbaum-mexico-banks-c2ed5a2aadf277a2d13e3b577c3faa54\">said<\/a> that Mexico had received insufficient evidence about the banks\u2019 alleged wrongdoing.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<div class=\"fp-quiz\">\n<div class=\"fp-quiz-question\">\n<div class=\"fp-quiz-question-text\">\n<p>Bolivia\u2019s economic turmoil is related to its falling natural gas production. When did that production peak?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"fp-quiz-question-response \"><\/p>\n<p>The 1990s<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"fp-quiz-question-response \"><\/p>\n<p>The 2000s<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"fp-quiz-question-response is-answer\"><\/p>\n<p>The 2010s<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"fp-quiz-question-response \"><\/p>\n<p>The 2020s<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"fp-quiz-question-result\">\n<div class=\"fp-quiz-question-description\">\n<p>According to its state energy firm, Bolivia\u2019s natural gas production <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bnamericas.com\/en\/features\/bolivia-natural-gas-output-falling-below-guidance\">peaked<\/a> in 2014.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<hr\/>\n<div id=\"attachment_1200192\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone none\">            <span style=\"padding-bottom:66.625%;&#10;        \" class=\"image-attachment -ratioscale\"><br \/>\n        <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" alt=\"A Cuban arts and crafts salesman cleans a street in front of his business decorated with a poster of former Cuban President Ra\u00fal Castro on his 94th birthday in Havana on June 3.\" class=\"image wp-image-1200192 size-text_width -fit\" src=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Cuba-Havana-Fidel-Che-politics-GettyImages-2217840447.jpg?w=800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Cuba-Havana-Fidel-Che-politics-GettyImages-2217840447.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Cuba-Havana-Fidel-Che-politics-GettyImages-2217840447.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Cuba-Havana-Fidel-Che-politics-GettyImages-2217840447.jpg?resize=550,367 550w, https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Cuba-Havana-Fidel-Che-politics-GettyImages-2217840447.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Cuba-Havana-Fidel-Che-politics-GettyImages-2217840447.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Cuba-Havana-Fidel-Che-politics-GettyImages-2217840447.jpg?resize=401,267 401w, https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Cuba-Havana-Fidel-Che-politics-GettyImages-2217840447.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Cuba-Havana-Fidel-Che-politics-GettyImages-2217840447.jpg?resize=1000,667 1000w, https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Cuba-Havana-Fidel-Che-politics-GettyImages-2217840447.jpg?resize=275,183 275w, https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Cuba-Havana-Fidel-Che-politics-GettyImages-2217840447.jpg?resize=325,217 325w, https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Cuba-Havana-Fidel-Che-politics-GettyImages-2217840447.jpg?resize=600,400 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/span><figcaption style=\"height:0;opacity:0;\">A Cuban arts and crafts salesman cleans a street in front of his business decorated with a poster of former Cuban President Ra\u00fal Castro on his 94th birthday in Havana on June 3.<\/figcaption><p id=\"caption-attachment-1200192\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Cuban arts and crafts salesman cleans a street in front of his business decorated with a poster of former Cuban President Ra\u00fal Castro on his 94th birthday in Havana on June 3.<span class=\"attribution\">Yamil Lage\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span><!-- caption placeholder --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>This week, Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/06\/national-security-presidential-memorandum-nspm-5\/\">ordered<\/a> top officials to study how to tighten economic restrictions on Cuba, potentially via wide-reaching <a href=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/nation-world\/world\/americas\/cuba\/article306224076.html\">secondary sanctions<\/a>. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is of Cuban descent, has long <a href=\"https:\/\/en.cibercuba.com\/noticias\/2025-02-05-u1-e197721-s27061-nid296716-marco-rubio-asegura-solo-viajaria-cuba-hablar-fin\">been vocal<\/a> about his desire for Cubans to oust the ruling Communist government. But decades of U.S. economic warfare have failed to bring about regime change.<\/p>\n<p>Given the hardened nature of U.S. Cuba policy today, it is all the more remarkable that Washington <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/world\/obama-announcement-on-cuba\">tried<\/a> a dramatically different approach about a decade ago, under President Barack Obama.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.audible.com\/pd\/I-Spy-The-US-Cuba-and-the-Secret-Deal-That-Ended-the-Cold-War-Audiobook\/B0FBHCYPFD\">new show<\/a> from <em>Foreign Policy<\/em>\u2019s podcast team details the secret talks that led to a political thaw between Havana and Washington in December 2014. Produced with Audible and Skybound Entertainment, the show hears directly from many of the protagonists who engaged in the diplomacy. Because of decades of animosity between the two countries, it took signaling from Obama himself to convince Cubans that the United States was serious about improving relations.<\/p>\n<p>The deal included months of secret confidence-building measures, among them a highly unusual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/storyline\/u-s--cuba-relations\/human-thing-senator-says-no-politics-cuban-sperm-deal-n273106\">episode<\/a> of \u201cstork diplomacy,\u201d in the words of FP\u2019s Dan Ephron, the show\u2019s host. U.S. officials facilitated a sperm transfer from a Cuban spy jailed in the United States, allowing his wife in Cuba to get pregnant. In 2015 and 2016, rapprochement brought a swarm of new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/economy\/2016\/12\/13\/cuba-signs-deal-with-google-for-faster-internet-access\">interest<\/a> from U.S. companies in doing business on the island.<\/p>\n<p>Trump rolled back the agreement in his first term, vowing to undo many of Obama\u2019s policies. Former Obama advisor Ben Rhodes told Ephron that the Cuba-U.S. relationship snapped back to \u201cthe worst aspects\u201d of each country\u2019s foreign policy. \u201cWe are going to hurt individual people because we\u2019re mad about something that happened 60 years ago or 70 years ago,\u201d Rhodes said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/07\/04\/brics-leaders-summit-brazil-rio-economics-climate-lula\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to Foreign Policy\u2019s Latin America Brief. The highlights this week: Brazil readies to host the BRICS leaders\u2019 summit, Bolivia embraces cryptocurrency amid an economic crisis, and Mercosur notches a new trade deal. Sign up to receive Latin America Brief in your inbox every Friday. Sign up to receive Latin America Brief in your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1820","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politcical-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1820"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1820\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}