Translated "Avante!"article by Luís Carapinha, Member of the International Department
The president of Brazil’s most recent trip to the USA ought to be reminded as one of the darkest moments in the annals of Brazilian diplomacy. For all it represents, humiliating and degrading for national dignity and sovereignty, with consequences throughout Latin America and worldwide.
During the greetings to Trump and compliance towards imperialism supreme interests, Bolsonaro had the desire to appear as the White House tenant’s twin sole., ignoring all efforts and the nonsense, in his commitment towards the USA, in the virulent reactionary campaign, that holds in its core, the most cavern times anti-communism. Emergence and affinity with a neo-fascist far right-wing, pushed ahead by Trump’s rise, represent a non- despicable process, to be regarded for its real dimension. But the most prosaic reality that crosses Bolsonaro’s political performance is the beast flattery before its creator. The ex-captain’s election, in 2018, is the crowning of the juridical-institutional coup that set aside Dilma and led to Lula’s imprisonment, and blockading its participation in the presidential election, having been appointed as a favorite. All this plot, in which the long arm of the USA imperialism did not play, at all, a minor part.
Bolsonaro, during the visit, had dinner with Bannon, a pivot figure of the USA highest reaction. The president and his entourage, including Moro,a current minister, visited the CIA headquarters. The change of the ambassador in Washington was announced – surely with a more functional profile for the subservience pursuit the Planalto wishes to perform. With Trump, and in a friendly tone, Bolsonaro admitted to change the Brazil preferential regime within the WTO by an accession to the OECD. Over the UNASUL’s body, he permitted the use of the Alcantara base, in the Amazon region, by the USA, in the course of the Embraer unto Boeing alienation process. And amid the promised privatization great news, more is to come, including the pre-salt oil. Brazil has decided to lower tariffs and signed more wheat trade amounts. Trump emphasized the America First reciprocity with a handful of nothing in real commodities purchase. Much more intoxicated concerning the communion spirit, he promised to name Brazil as a non-NATO major-ally and, who knows, unto a future integration ( as the Colombia inclusion as “ global partner” in NATO, in 2018). The NATO and OECD formula ought to be a possibility to annul Brazil ‘s continuity in the BRICS, but for the moment, it is announced the country ought to host the organization 2019 summit. Not being easy to satisfy the outstanding anti-China pretensions, when Beijing is both Brazil’s major trade partner and export destiny.
Naturally, the meeting center-piece was Venezuela. Bolsonaro was not clear on the rejection on participating in a military intervention, upon the USA having echoed for the many times the threat that “all options are on the table”. Nevertheless, Bolsonaro’s subordination ought to have gone too far. As a member of the Brazilian entourage confided “ they demand all but are not intended to give in in anything”. On the return home, the presidential delegation was confronted with new popular resistance expressions against the serious Social Security reforms and the national claudication policy.