Brazil and the USA: from allies to competitors

During the military dictatorship in Brazil, the statement, attributed to Richard Nixon, arose: "Where Brazil goes, Latin America goes." A very convenient statement for the US, given the direction Brazil was taking under the military's rule.

Following the redemocratization process, Brazil, along with other Latin American countries, adopted anti-neoliberal policies, contrary to those implemented in the US and recommended by it to the countries of the continent. Six of the most important countries on the continent followed this path.

The US maintained some historical allies. Among them, Mexico, Colombia, and Chile stood out, countries marked by neoliberal policies.

For the first time, the US had to coexist with a bloc of countries with their own economic and international policies. They no longer signed Free Trade Agreements with the US, but opened themselves up to alliances with countries in the Global South, especially Asia and Africa.

Brazil, under Lula's leadership, already stood out as a leader of that bloc. His meeting with George W. Bush, who invited Brazil to join the war against Iraq, was a decisive milestone in the new era of relations between the United States and Latin America. Lula responded that his war was different: it was a war against hunger. He refused to join the war against Iraq, not only because he was against wars, but also because he did not accept the accusation that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction – which proved to be true.

The US and Latin America – or a bloc of Latin American countries – are situated in different ways within global geopolitics. US presidents have been visiting countries on the continent considerably less frequently, just as Latin American leaders have been visiting the US less and China and other Asian and African countries, the countries of the Global South, more often.

This has been the century with the most divergences between the US and Latin America. It is within this context that Lula and Biden meet this week. The American and Brazilian presidents have, above all, in common the fight against the far-right in both countries, namely Trump and Bolsonaro.

Therefore, the topic of democracy is the first on the agenda for the meeting between the two. Closely linked to this topic, and at Lula's preference, will be the fight for world peace. Lula will certainly elaborate on the idea that the world lacks political and moral direction, and that issues such as environmental protection and peace, among others, have no one taking responsibility for resolving the world's general crisis in this century. One of Lula's proposals is the creation of a Peace Group, in which, significantly, Lula does not include the USA, but China, India, Brazil, Pakistan, and Turkey.

Biden needs to appear as a leader close to Lula at a time when, domestically, his government is showing a downward trend in support among Americans, Republicans are the favorites for the 2024 presidential elections, and Democrats don't even know who their candidate will be. In this context, the ghost of Trump is no longer at its peak, but his electoral campaign has practically begun.

Lula will also meet, significantly, with Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the most important representatives of the left wing of the Democratic Party, as well as with union leaders.

Lula, for his part, wants to use this meeting to project himself not as an ally, but as a competitor vying for leadership not only in Latin America, but also in the Global South and, in a way, in the world.

Coincidentally, Lula will meet, a few days later, with Xi Jinping, the all-powerful president of China, while the US is experiencing the worst moment in its relations with China, to the point that the US Secretary of State has suspended his trip to Beijing.