Are Brazil And Lula Out Of Their Depth On Iran?

Are Brazil And Lula Out Of Their Depth On Iran?

Introduction

On May 15th, 2010, President Luiz Inácio Lula de Silva of Brazil met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. The result was a startling announcement by the three countries regarding a proposed nuclear material trade deal between Iran, Turkey, and the Vienna Group (Germany and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, and China).The tri-partite talks have since received both praise and criticism, much of it directed at Brazil and President Lula. To some experts, Brazil has ventured out of its depth on the Iran issue, and it is now being accused of being impractical, even immature, for foolishly squeezing its way into the international spotlight without proper cause. However, it could be alternately argued that Brazil’s participation in the tri-partite talks was not only pragmatic, but also contained the potential of providing a powerful corrective position to the West’s American-dominated, acerbic policy on the nuclear issue and Iran.

Brazil’s Foreign Policy Expansion

Since the Cardozo administration, Brazilian foreign policy has emphasized itself as a nation on the make, driven by a highly sophisticated economy and polity. Brazil has worked to countermand an inequitable development pattern often espoused in the Western Hemisphere. Brazil is now a welcomed exponent of multilateralism and non-intervention and an advocate of the peaceful resolution of regional and international disputes. Brazil emphasizes national sovereignty and the recognition of conciliation as the cornerstone of international relations and as the bedrock of Brazil’s posture on the world scene.

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This analysis was prepared by Manasi Raveendran

ENDS

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