This is John Batchel. I welcome my good colleague Ernesto Aruja, former foreign minister

of the Republic of Brazil,

now traveling in Africa, to help me interpret the war in the Middle East, the war in Iran,

on the point of view of the Americas, especially the Americas that are under a great deal of pressure

now for elections that are turning the story from the pink tide of these

last years to what looks to be a right of center capitalist states of right now. Not only Argentina,

but other states are joining in. And some states that have been long understood to be in the

adversary camp,

that would be Russia and China, are turning away from them.

But the detail here is events are in the saddle.

So, Ernesto, a very good day to you.

I begin with the Iran War because, according to reporting from Europe, this is a wider

war now.

It's a war on commerce.

The price of a barrel of oil affects everyone, affects the whole supply chain.

For example, in your native country, Brazil, I'm told that because oil is now above $100 a barrel, it's touched 106, that means there

are decisions being made in Brazil not to use the sugar cane fields for sugar, but to use

them for ethanol because there's more money to be made, which means that we might be facing a shortage

of sugar or a sugar price spiking immediately. This is just one small example of what can happen

when there is a war on commerce. What have you read so far from Brazil and from the continent,

from both continents, Central America and South America, in response to the war, is there concern about prices or inflation?

Good evening to you.

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