The U.S. Air Force is considering bids for aircraft to serve as counterinsurgency fighters and trainers for foreign partners. One major competitor for the Air Force contract is the Brazilian company Embraer. As the United States considers increasing its military imports from Brazil, it is important to examine the risks that come with developing the bilateral defense trade relationship. The U.S. will need to assess how its interests could be jeopardized by Brazil’s longstanding anti-Americanism, its overall foreign policy, and its practice of subsidizing its defense industry. This paper examines each of these issues and suggests that they will continue to pose problems as Brazil gains military and economic power in a more complex global environment. The direction of Brazil’s economic and foreign policy raises questions as to whether Brazil can currently be a reliable procurement partner for the U.S.

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