Aligning is not submitting – the strange Brazil / United States case
04/08/2020
On different occasions, we can see how Brazilian government leaders affirm the alignment they seek with the United States. From President Bolsonaro and his sons to Chancellor Ernesto Araújo, you can see statements of how we are aligned and how this will bring benefits to the country.
Interesting to note that they are unable to expose what benefits we will have, reducing much of the speech to a superficial ideological view, which they say is the way to avoid the left. Much of this positioning is the result of a more limited view of the international system, perceiving States within a duality of friends or enemies.
China's rise as a power has caused us to re-edit the Cold War vision. Like this, there is a group that is "good" and another that is "evil". Here United States are the good (because right-wing) and China is the evil (because left). Even if we disregard the simple vision of left and right that is intended to be built, this bipolarized view of the international system proves to be limited.
The facts are far from the speech, but reality does not always seem to be relevant in this type of discussion.. If we think in commercial terms, Brazil depends more on China than on the United States. Just look at the weight that the Chinese have in Brazilian agribusiness exports[i]. Even so, the speech is one of criticism of China and praise for the United States.
It's not about denying the United States and its relevance. Instead, is an important country for the region and for the country, with which we should seek a long-term relationship, we have many common interests. What you cannot believe is that the simple fact of declaring that we are aligned will bring us the return we seek.
Taking away the dimension of a belief in ideologies close to presidents there and here, little seems to be left. Both assert themselves on the right, even though the right in the United States means something very different from what we have in Brazil (without making any judgments here about which is better).
Donald Trump is not considered a typical Republican even within his party, generating a strong movement of other republican leaders to boycott it, even if at the cost of electing a president of another party[ii]. E, even though we force our vision and perceive it as a republishing, It is important to note that republican governments are more commercially protectionist and nationalist in terms of policies.. Outcome: Brazil tends to be less relevant to the United States during these governments.
No end, what is perceived is an empty alignment discourse, which is more focused on bravado than on interests and actions. Until then there wouldn't be so much problem, if that didn't limit our performance in other fields. Constant unnecessary wear and tear on China, the continuous devaluation of initiatives such as the BRICS and the low connection with the Latin American agendas end up showing how far Brazil is far from the facts.
As Rubens Ricúpero says, "it's a situation that is difficult to rationally discuss, because there is no rationality"[iii].
[i] See the article Agribusiness Exports and the Size of China in https://www.jornaldocomercio.com/_conteudo/opiniao/2020/07/749537-as-exportacoes-do-agronegocio-e-o-tamanho-da-china.html
[ii] See the article The Republican Guerrilla Fighting Trump's Reelection in https://brasil.elpais.com/internacional/2020-07-19/a-guerrilha-de-republicanos-que-luta-contra-a-reeleicao-de-trump.html
[iii] Bolsonaro replaced Duterte and became 'worst international villain', says Rubens Ricupero available at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/brasil-53086999
originally published in World map (www.mapamundi.org.br)
