Lula’s Brazil: The great BRICS homecoming
Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is presented with the credentials of China’s ambassador to Brazil, Zhu Qingqiao.
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You can’t spell “BRICS” without Brazil. Brazil has always been part of BRICS. But having President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the wheel can accelerate the realization of a fairer, more balanced, multi-polar world. That’s what makes President Lula’s upcoming visit to Beijing all the more significant.
When President Lula won the 2022 Brazilian elections, President Xi called in his congratulations.
“I attach great importance to the development of China-Brazil relations,” said Xi.
“I am willing to work with President-elect Lula, from a strategic and long-term perspective, to jointly plan and promote to a new level the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Brazil, for the benefit of the two countries and its peoples.”
Bolsonaro – undermining BRICS
Since Jair Bolsonaro took office, he distanced Brazil from BRICS, adopting a more pro-Western foreign policy. He has been aligned himself closer with the United States, whose interest generally do not align with BRICS countries, or the global South. He generally snubbed the meetings, and also scaled back Brazil’s participation in BRICS initiatives and institutions. For example, Brazil withdrew from the BRICS New Development Bank’s Africa Regional Center in July 2020, and in November 2020, Brazil declined to join a BRICS-led initiative to provide debt relief to African countries.
In 2019 he made an official visit to the White House, where he met with President Trump, where they signed several agreements on trade, defence, and space co-operation. He also aligned Brazil with America on several bizarre foreign policy issues, such as recognizing Juan Guaido as Venezuelan president.
Bolsonaro had also aligned with the United States in his criticism of China, accusing the country of “buying up” Brazilian companies. Bolsonaro’s further aligned himself with US policy by supporting Israel. He expressed strong support for Israel and sought to strengthen Brazil’s relationship with the country. In 2019 he made a controversial visit to Israel where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and announced plans to open a Brazilian trade office in Jerusalem. Bolsonaro has also taken steps to align Brazil’s foreign policy more closely with Israel’s, such as voting against a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
President Lula – one of the architects of BRICS
During Lula’s first tenure as the President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010, he sought to expand Brazil’s role on the global stage. He can be regarded as one of the architects of BRICS. In 2006, Lula proposed the creation of a grouping of major emerging economies that would have greater influence in global affairs, moving the world away from US hegemony and towards a multipolar world. He discussed the idea with leaders from Russia, India, and China, and the four countries held their first summit in 2009 in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
At the first BRIC summit, the leaders agreed to establish a forum for dialogue and cooperation, with the goal of promoting economic development and improving global governance. The group was expanded in 2010 to include South Africa, and the acronym was changed to BRICS.
Today, BRICS is a major forum for cooperation between emerging economies, and the group has become an influential voice on issues such as trade, climate change, and global governance. Lula’s efforts to establish the grouping was an important step in the development of the global South as a political and economic force.
What will Lula do?
After the era of insults, diplomatic gaffes, cozying up to fellow right wing populists, and alienating allies, friends, and partners of Brazil, the reign of Bolsonaro’s idiocy is over. President Lula’s upcoming trip to Beijing will be yet another sign that Brazil wants to rejoin the international community, and repair relations with strategic partners, particularly BRICS.
With the possible expansion of BRICS, it is important that the existing members consolidate their bi-lateral relations with each other, before looking outwards at expanding the political and economic alliance for the benefit of the global South.
