GEORGETOWN, Guyana - Last week, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff became the first head of state ever to postpone a state visit to the United States of America. Given that state visits are the highest form of diplomatic contact between two nations and Washington usually reserves them for its closest strategic partners, Ms Rousseff’s decision could only be interpreted as a major snub.
The rebuff was prompted by revelations in documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden that the US National Security Agency (NSA) had eavesdropped electronically on her private communications and had also targeted Brazilian diplomatic missions and strategic industries. Many analysts in the USA, however, sought to downplay the postponement as a symbolic move on the diplomatic chessboard. After all, didn’t US President Barack Obama do the same thing to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month? But they underestimated the depth of Ms Rousseff’s displeasure.