2 Months (and a half) of Brazil’s new Foreign Policy

Written by Cassio Suczeck; Edited by Josh Blaustein

Published on February 16th, 2023

Over the past years, Jair Bolsonaro has made significant and controversial changes to Brazilian politics. However, in the 2022 election, Brazil pivoted towards a more established leader as Luis Inacio “Lula” da Silva, who had previously served as President, was elected. Given Lula's contrasting leadership style compared to Bolsonaro and his experience serving as President in two different decades, it is crucial to examine Brazil's foreign policy and consider  how Lula's foreign policy will differ or align with previous trajectories.

Historically, Brazil’s foreign policy strategy has been mostly conservative, reminiscent of its military government, and characterized by a focus on regional integration, peacekeeping, and economic diplomacy. Brazil’s Constitution (1988) on its 4th article, states “The Federative Republic of Brazil is governed in its international relations by the following principles:

[omitted]

III - self-determination of peoples;

IV - non-intervention;

V - equality among States;

VI - defense of peace;

VII - peaceful resolution of conflicts;

[omitted]
The Federative Republic of Brazil will seek the economic, political, social and cultural integration of the peoples of Latin America, aiming at the formation of a Latin American community of nations.”

Brazil played an active role in regional organizations such as the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), and the Rio Group, and it worked to promote integration and cooperation among Latin American countries, albeit fluctuations based on ruling parties. From 2003-2018, the primary objective of the Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workers' Party), led by Lula, was to change Brazil's isolationist image. Brazil formed mainly economic/ commerce agreements with other major emerging economies including India, Russia, and China, in what would be known as the BRIC. (South Africa joined in 2010). Lula’s administration also signed the UNASUR (Union of South American Nations) Constitutive Treaty in 2008, whose focus was to counteract the influence of the United States in the region, strengthening South-South relations.

During Dilma Rousseff's presidency from 2011 to 2016, Brazil's foreign policy became even more focused on furthering commercial influence in Latin America and Africa, with Lula's successor from the same party maintaining close communication with him. Dilma signed the Treaty that created the NDB (New Development Bank), in Fortaleza on July 15, 2014. Meanwhile, Brazil stayed relatively neutral in political affairs. Brazil served as a temporary member of the UN Security Council 10 times, the last being 2010-2011, and used its seat to vouch for Stability in Haiti, the Israel-Palestine conflict - where the country repudiated the human rights violations and criticized both sides. Brazil abstained from a proposal condemning Syria for its violations. Support from the delegation expanded to Guinea-Bissau and South Sudan. The vote against Iran's Nuclear sanctions and abstained from voting in the Libyan case. These two caused much controversy, with countries speculating about Brazil's true neutrality. Following Western imposed sanctions on Libya in 2011, Itamaraty (Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) worked to bridge the gap between Syria, Russia, China, and the West.

From 2016 to 2019, Brazil shunned the foreign arena, focusing its efforts internally. Following Dilma’s impeachment, Vice-president Michel Temer, who was from the opposition party, assumed the seat and tried to shift the entire government towards a more conservative approach, including pulling back its embassies in many African countries, and an automatic alignment with the hegemonic capitalist pole, led by the US.

Bolsonaro’s government (2019-2022) brought another shift in foreign policy, with Brazil reconnecting with the USA, Israel, Japan, and UK, all of which were led by right-wing governments at the time. Brazil pulled out of UNASUR and joined the Forum for the Progress and Integration of South America  (PROSUR) in March 2019, which included most South Americans countries and excluded left-wing Venezuela, Bolivia and Uruguay. Under Bolsonaro, Brazil had a selectively active foreign policy, projecting domestic partisan political affinities outwards.

As Bolsonaro's presidency progressed, Brazil's policies became intertwined with his personal dealings with US President Donald Trump, causing Brazilian foreign policy to align more closely with Trump's foreign policy. This, in turn, led to reduced engagement with other nations and increased isolation, reminiscent of similar trends that had impacted the United States.

What now?

On January 1st, Lula took office in a ceremony that drew the largest gathering of international leaders in the history of Brazil. Since re-entering office on January 1st, Lula has carried the momentum of international engagement reflected by the inauguration, and put it into practice for his public and the world to see. All but two South American and Caribbean countries sent their Presidents; Peru and Venezuela sent other senior representatives. In total, 58 heads of state from Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and 5 representatives of international organizations attended, including the Secretary General of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (OCTA).

In his first month in office, President Lula held a series of meetings with top diplomats from South America and beyond, reaffirming Brazil's commitment to multilateralism and regional integration. He pledged to strengthen Brazil's partnerships with African nations, such as Angola, Mozambique, and Nigeria, signaling his intention to pursue a more balanced and diversified foreign policy. Lula expanded cooperation with the United States, going against his own previous administration’s stance, whose main goal was to strengthen developing countries against the Potencies, like the US. and differing from Bolsonaro’s personal incentive based relationship.

Lula rejoined UNASUR, departing from his predecessor’s decisions. He hosted the president of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez, in Brasília, where the two leaders discussed ways to deepen the economic and political ties between their two countries, including plans to launch a new currency between the two countries. The Sur (name suggested by Lula, means south) could potentially become the world’s second biggest currency bloc, with the purpose of boosting regional businesses and reducing the reliance on the US dollar. Additionally, Lula's administration announced several initiatives aimed at increasing trade and investment with Middle Eastern nations, including Palestine and Iran. This is a big shift from Bolsonaro, who made efforts to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, for example.

Despite Brazil's increased engagement with the international community, as demonstrated by Lula's focus on regional integration, South-South cooperation, and expanding Brazil's role in the global arena, it has maintained its tradition of non-intervention and non-alignment. This is exemplified by its choice to remain neutral on the Russian war in Ukraine, while still actively engaging with world markets and alliances. On February 10th, Lula visited President Biden in Washington, and proposed to create an alliance to aid in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, rather than taking a side.

Compared to his predecessor, Lula is clearly trying to decrease Brazil’s reliance on the US and promote cooperation across the globe, while still remaining neutral on critical international conflicts. Only time will tell if Lula stays the course and if this foreign policy finds success in the coming years.

Special thanks to Amanda Pereira Santos, writer, professor and marketing professional, for her assistance in research and proof-reading.