[Harry Cane]

I'm all for reciprocity if done in a smart way. Chile, for example, has a booth at the Santiago airport. US citizens (and those of other countries that charge Chileans for visas) go there first to pay for the visa, you get a small receipt that makes it valid for the life of the passport, point made and off you go. Brazil,on the other hand, requires plane tickets, passports being mailed to embassy/consulate, application, etc.

I suppose you could argue that Brazil comes closer to reciprocity, since that (and worse) is what the US does to Brazilians wanting to come here. However, it seems to me that ignores the fact that Brazil is not exactly a hotspot for Americans wanting to emigrate illegally. I suppose the way we're going that might not be too far off. Anyway, for a country that's trying to attract foreign capital and develop tourism on its northeast coast, that seems like shooting yourself in the foot.

This may all be moot. I understand several countries in South America, including Brazil, have qualified for the visa waiver program. Of course, that'll still require Brazil to update its passport system.