While all eyes are transfixed on the Middle East, developments in the Western Hemisphere are poised to have a major impact on American prosperity and security.

Before the outbreak of the war in Iran, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was slated to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House to work through an overflowing agenda of trade and geopolitical disputes. The sit-down was always going to be a stress test for a relationship that has deteriorated on Lula’s watch.