US agencies and the rise of neoliberalism

Do a The Earth is round.

1.

I confess: this immersion in the documentary produced by Bob Fernandes, with its interviews, leaves more questions than answers in my mind, many doubts, and I won't answer them – it would be pretentious and risky. And I'm glad: doubt is a source of enrichment. These doubts are mine, not Bob's, nor those of the interviewees. Certainties, often, freeze knowledge.

All of Bob Fernandes' journalistic work, in this case, involves attempting to investigate how imperialism works to capture hearts and minds around the world, especially here in Latin America. Capturing hearts and minds in order to guarantee the dominance of neoliberalism.

Above all, this work aims to confront, as we have already discussed in previous chapters of this series, the rise of reformist, progressive, and leftist political forces in Latin America, the so-called "pink tide," whose beginning we could date back to 1999 with the rise of Hugo Chávez. Interestingly, this shift in imperial politics, a turning point in itself, is now occurring with Venezuela as its focus.

The kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, inaugurates a new form of US action, a kind of piracy, impervious to any international norms, and I believe I said this in the last chapter. I'm not referring to aggression against countries, a common practice of the American empire, but to the practice of a kind of pirate-terrorism, although, with distinct characteristics, it also happened with Panama.

I speak of this new phase to move forward in this attempt to reveal Bob Fernandes' documentary. The violent attitude of the US does not disregard all the political, ideological, and cultural construction work of the main imperialist nation of today. It has always been this way. And in this historical period, there is an incessant war of discourses.

That's because Donald Trump works with the unexpected, not because he's crazy. He talks about attacking Mexico one day, Colombia another, then annexing Greenland, and after that, suffocating Cuba. He won't do it. At least he can't attack and carry out terrorist acts in all those countries. In the last few hours, his fixed idea has been Greenland.

His seemingly disjointed discourse is normalizing potential new impactful actions – the corporate media normalizes all of this. Donald Trump seems to enjoy driving the corporate media to the brink of a nervous breakdown. They want to support him, that's clear, but he disconcerts them, and they don't know how to react in certain situations, especially since he's firing shots every minute.

2.

We have entered, with him, an era of absolute uncertainty, except for the certainty that imperialism remains imperialism, and at this moment it wants to show its arms, without much mediation. It cannot do everything, as it sometimes tries to make it seem, but it makes threats left and right, including against allies, as in the case of Greenland, placing Europe in an even more depressing situation, now forced to play games, as if it were, and could, resist a possible act of force by the US.

The dialogue between Bob Fernandes and Professor Camila Vidal is very rich. It's an interview, and I call it a dialogue, if you'll excuse the expression. In the last chapter, she spoke of the axis of evil. Imagine, the US arrogates to itself the right to curse countries, even naming which nations can be considered democratic, and this at a time when the American government is taking on clearly fascist features.

The axis of evil in Latin America, according to the USAID report, consisted of Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua. Dissecting the report, Vidal speaks of three fronts for the US in Latin America. The front of action, of security, in order to confront communist threats – understood here as China and Russia.

Secondly, the prosperity front, and this concept, I believe, should be understood as creating favorable conditions for American companies' business in the region, never for the living conditions of impoverished populations.

Thirdly, and here it is possible to view with suspicion, if not irony, the strengthening of democratic institutions – and here, from the empire's perspective, these can only be institutions present in far-right governments, partners of the US, such as Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, Peru and now Chile, with the victory of a Pinochet supporter, to name a few.

The fourth front would be the ongoing assessment of the receptiveness of US leadership on the continent. Perhaps, firstly, the feeling of the empire losing prestige; secondly, the need to regain dominance. If possible, to conquer hegemony. If not, then by force, and Donald Trump has preferred this method, as revealed by the Venezuela episode.

3.

In the Brazilian case, Professor Camila Vidal distinguishes two fronts of US action, mapped by USAID. Since the 1980s, the Amazon front, whose emphasis has not diminished, represents for the empire an area of ​​immense possibilities.

And the Education front, of great importance, whose priority has grown even more from 2008 to the present day. I recalled, in a previous text, our immense student movements of 1968, where we fought against the so-called MEC-USAID Agreement, aimed at the privatization of Brazilian education. The voracity in conquering this area knows no bounds. I believe it is important to emphasize the significance of such an effort, whose dual nature is evident.

First, it's a big deal because it's a necessity. People with some income go to great lengths to ensure their children receive an education, especially higher education, and the private sector has no reason to complain: it already occupies more than 80% of the market.

Secondly, dominated by a privatizing-consumerist vision, it also fulfills a clear ideological and cultural function, shaping a worldview in accordance with American standards.

Camila Vidal, however, is convinced that USAID's main role is the Amazon. In her view, this centrality has existed since 1980. This action would occur with the consent, cooperation, and partnership of Brazilian governmental entities, both federal and local – a policy she considers misguided: the country is receiving a foreign entity, operating in a region that is strategic for the country and the world, where there is impressive biodiversity, handing it over on a silver platter.

Once again, the double standard: this is a major business deal and a move in a region fundamental to the maintenance of humanity, without any exaggeration. A handover that seriously affects Brazilian sovereignty.

The USAID project has already supported the commercialization of 230 "sustainable" products from the Amazon, generating profit after profit. USAID, in its work in the region, facilitated 108 commercial contracts. The idea of ​​any conservationist attitude on the part of USAID is misleading.

The report Camila Vidal is referring to is transparent, to its credit. It states the need to promote American prosperity through investments capable of expanding markets for US exports, creating conditions for American companies, and supporting societies with a more democratic profile – the professor emphasizes: this last part is added to disguise the plunder. In short, the US is taking care of business in the Amazon.

The USAID report does not leave this operation in obscurity. It is quite explicit regarding the interests behind it, those of American companies. According to the professor, two companies stand out in particular. In fact, as she defines them, a company and a corporation focused on what USAID calls, and I would say inappropriately, the conservation of the Amazon.

Both Google and Mineração Rio do Norte. As far as Camila Vidal could research, Google's role would be to provide computers, help native communities operate the machines, and allow these communities access to the internet. Rio do Norte is a giant in bauxite extraction. Both, as already seen, have the support of USAID.

4.

If economic interest is indeed the primary and crucial factor, then the entire operation is about ideological and cultural domination, and as one can deduce, USAID plays an essential role in this. None of this certainly escapes the keen insight and intellectual and political perspective of Professor Camila Vidal, a scholar of US domination strategies.

Rio Norte Mining doesn't hide anything, it has no reason to. It has always had the approval of the Brazilian government. It reveals in its promotional materials that it produces more than 12 million tons of bauxite per year. The mineral is used in the production of metallic aluminum and also in the manufacture of special cements, refractory bricks, paints, and chemical products such as aluminum hydroxide.

It maintains a preservationist facade. Is it possible to believe that bauxite extraction in the Amazon for almost half a century can be done without environmental destruction, without profound aggression against nature? These are almost innocent questions, absolutely necessary in the face of the actions of Mineração Rio Norte, always with the complacent gaze of Brazilian authorities.

Professor Camila Vidal asks: “Do we want our native communities involved in the world of Google? And what is the real interest of mining in the Amazon?” Of course, Camila Vidal knows the answers. Those who should seriously be asking themselves these questions are the Brazilian authorities, especially in the name of and in defense of national sovereignty and, in this specific case, in the name of preserving the Amazon.

She recalls: during Jair Bolsonaro's years in government, the Amazonian rivers saw their waters invaded by tons of mercury, and simultaneously an incalculable amount of gold was illegally taken out of the country. Gold extraction, mostly done illegally, grew by 37% between 2019 and 2024.

It's possible, and here I'm commenting, that there has been some restraint in all of this with the arrival of Lula's government; let's hope so.

The fact is: until now, the Amazon has been a goldmine for international capital, and it's not just about the gold itself, although we'll talk about that a little later, as already mentioned. In the Amazon, and for some time now, American imperialism, and indeed all international capital, has discovered the goldmine. And what a goldmine it is.

*Emiliano Jose He is a journalist, writer, and member of the Bahia Academy of Letters. He is the author of, among other books, The dog bites the night (EDUFBA) [https://amzn.to/46i5Oxb]

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