Unified

Obama: Brazil Can Inspire Middle East

With a dictatorship that turned to democracy.

President Obama told an energetic crowd in Rio de Janiero Sunday that Brazil could inspire people in Libya and other Middle Eastern countries by standing as an example of a dictatorship that became a successful democracy. “Let us stand together,” Obama said. “Not as senior and junior partners, but as equal partners.” The president spoke at the end of a trip to Brazil aimed at strengthening U.S. ties with South America’s burgeoning economic power. He highlighted a host of areas in which the U.S. and Brazil can collaborate, including student exchanges, cooperation between scientists and researchers, support for clean-energy programs, and fighting against drug traffickers. Rio de Janiero will host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.