The United States and Brazil appear headed for a full-blown trade war. President Trump has pledged to impose a 50% tariff on all Brazilian products. The announcement comes amid rising political tensions in the shadow of the recent BRICS summit in Brazil, and Trump’s call for a halt to the trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. 

Meanwhile, the U.S. and Colombia have called home their respective top diplomats in an acceleration of worsening ties. Earlier this month, prosecutors opened an investigation into an alleged plot to overthrow President Gustavo Petro with the help of Colombian and American politicians. 

Joining the discussion: 

• Benjamin Norton is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Geopolitical Economy Report.
• Michael Shifter is a Senior Fellow with the Inter-American Dialogue.
• Paulo Velasco is an international politics professor at Rio de Janeiro State University.
• Otaviano Canuto served as a Vice President at the World Bank. He’s currently a Senior Fellow with the Policy Center for the New South.