On the evening of February 13, 2023, the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs at the Bush School of Government & Public Service hosted U.S. Ambassador Liliana Ayalde (Ret.) at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center. Ambassador Ayalde discussed the recent elections in Brazil based on her 38 years of service to the U.S.
Bush School Professor and Director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, Professor Andrew Natsios, introduced the speaker and mediated the event.
Ambassador (Ret.) Ayalde began by explaining why Brazil is important to monitor, including its relationship to food security, agricultural trade with the U.S., and climate change. She proceeded to provide a detailed account of the environment, players, and sentiments leading up to Brazil’s 2022 elections. The Ambassador (Ret.) also discussed the conditions Brazil’s new President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, will inherit and predicted his actions to come.
She discussed the future of U.S.-Brazil relations, examining U.S. President Joe Biden and his administration’s gestures toward the new Brazilian President. Her talk ended with encouragement to audience members hoping to enter a career in the foreign service.
Her discussion was followed by a forty-minute discussion session which provided an opportunity for audience members to ask questions.
By Alexis Hixson
