Walter Russell Mead says that Brazil's recent involvement in the diplomatic dispute between Iran and the United States reveals the United States' need to identify ways to help Brazil reach its potential and help advance important American interests in Latin America.

Walter Russell Mead says that Turkey and Brazil's rejection of UN sanctions against Iran revealed that neither country had mastered the challenges of operating in the international system.

Development policies are designed to achieve specific goals, so how those goals are defined has profound implications for the types of policies pursued, and how progress is evaluated. This chapter from Direito ao Desenvolvimento, edited by Flavia Piovesan and Ines Virginia Prado Soares, presents an index that measures the fulfillment of economic and social rights and applies it to assessing the performance of the 27 states of the Federal Republic of Brazil.

The nuclear fuel-swap agreement announced in Tehran put the United States in a bind. Contrary to its sponsors' intentions, it will not improve confidence between the United States and Iran, writes CFR's Michael Levi.

It is not yet clear whether a Brazil-brokered deal will complicate or help resolve the crisis over Iran's nuclear program. CFR's Matias Spektor says either way a newly assertive Brazil is likely to remain a lead player in diplomacy on this issue.

The so-called BRIC summit of emerging-market powerhouses raises new questions on whether Brazil, Russia, India, and China can overcome internal differences and pursue common goals.

Brazil's rebuff of U.S. efforts to toughen sanctions against Iran derives from its wariness of U.S. power politics, writes CFR Visiting Fellow Matias Spektor, but it's too soon to dismiss Brazil's role.

Julia E. Sweig states that Secretary Clinton's visit to Brazil "may reflect a political will to make the relationship with Brazil a strategic priority for American foreign policy."

Shannon O'Neil discusses the prospects for the United States' relationship with Brazil.

Eduardo Gomez writes that as President Obama pushes to pass healthcare reform in the United States, "he would do well to examine the praiseworthy successes -- and the worrying failures -- of a decades-old universal system in the region's second-largest democracy."

Brazil's economic dynamism has given it a stronger voice on global trade and energy issues. Experts say Washington can advance its regional interests more effectively through a more sophisticated relationship with Brazil.

Walter Russell Mead argues that an increasing number of developing countries are turning into the "pacesetters of liberal global capitalism."

Some of the unreformed aspects of Brazil's economy are now helping to limit the damage from the world downturn--but its prudence in recent years is helping too.

This article in the World Politics Review evaluates Brazil's ability to surpass its disappointing economic performance during the late 20th century and fully realize its potential for rapid, stable growth.

Special Correspondent Mac Margolis examines why, as Brazil becomes Latin America's economic pacesetter, its neighboring countries are viewing it as target No. 1. With a $1.4 trillion economy and a global political agenda, Brazil stands out in a region hobbled by poverty and poor governance. Its industry eclipses that of its neighbors, assuring Brazil a fat regional trade surplus. And as Brazil's fortunes soar, it casts a harsh spotlight on the shortcomings of its neighbors. The result: increased animosity from across its borders.

As Brazil becomes a more powerful player, its neighbors are becoming increasingly aggressive.

Brazil is on the cusp of fulfilling its potential as a global player. The next U.S. president should rethink relations with this important country.