Brazil May Be Losing Faith in the U.S. Due to NSA Leaks
The South American country was planning to spend $4 billion on 36 fighter jets for its air force in a contract promised to the U.S. Now that Edward Snowden has revealed that the National Security Agency had been mining information on Brazil’s commercial, military and energy intelligence, President Dilma Rousseff seems to be having second thoughts. A source told Reuters that the Brazilian government “cannot talk about the fighters now. … You cannot give such a contract to a country that you do not trust.”
RT News provides more details on the contract and the Brazilian president’s reluctance:
Chicago-based Boeing Co. is competing for the $4 billion contract against France’s Rafale and Sweden’s Gripen, although the longer Brazil goes without choosing, the more likely it is that other competitors will enter the fray.
Rousseff delayed a decision on the fighter jets because of budget woes and widespread demonstrations protesting austerity and government corruption.
Secretary of State John Kerry, who is visiting Brazil and Colombia this week, has encountered anger and disappointment over the NSA’s reach during his trip. It seems Americans aren’t the only ones who dislike being spied on.
—Posted by Natasha Hakimi
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