Brazil’s Distorted Economy and Fractured Morals
By Linnea LaMon
October 7, 2011
Brazil, which currently holds a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, recently abstained on a key vote that,
had it not gone down in defeat, would have strongly condemned Syria for using lethal force against its own largely
unarmed population. Such street confrontations in the past have resulted in the death of almost three thousand
defenseless Syrian nationals. As a result of Chinese and Russian Security Council vetoes and four abstentions (including
that of Brazil), the resolution fell short of the number of votes needed to implement it. Bashar al-Assad’s ruthless
regime’s already harsh policies have resulted in the present Syrian bloodbath now being witnessed Damascus’ police-state
tactics.
Earlier this year, BRICS members, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, as well as Germany, abstained from
voting on an initiative regarding the no-fly zone policy in Libya, in order to prevent the now-ousted Libyan strongman
Muammar Gaddafi from ordering his armed forces to turn their weapons on his civilian opponents.
Brazil’s membership in the BRICS nations seems to have taken precedence over its traditional deference to Washington
when it comes to carrying out its inter-American commitments, further evidence of a marked deterioration in Brazil-U.S.
relations. But in recent years, China has soared to the top as Brazil’s major trade partner and increasingly strategic
ally, while Brazil’s newfound focus on the Middle East appears to be increasingly seen as an effort to be less involved
in the inter-American venue than in the global economy as a whole. China is now playing a critical role in helping
Brazil to overcome the setbacks now being felt in its formerly close U.S. ties. This declining partnership between the
two western hemispheric giants has given Brazil a growing self-confidence in its readiness to play a more autonomous
role in current diplomatic transactions. While China is today Brazil’s biggest trade partner, the latter still has a
significant economic relationship with the still all-important, if declining volume of United States trade, which would
languish if it was further neglected by any noticeably lesser U.S. role, considering that the outlook for Brazil’s
economic conditions now do not look as promising as they did in the beginning of the year. The Brasilia-Washington
relationship is now being seen as needing further definition and additional calories.
ENDS