Brazil's role in NATO will be to monitor the US on the continent, says analyst.
According to Pavel Feldman, deputy director of the Institute for Strategic and Prognostic Studies at the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, Brazil's potential entry into NATO, as suggested by President Donald Trump to Jair Bolsonaro, would turn the country into a kind of "watchdog" for the US in Latin America; "In other words, he [Trump] would want to put an end to all left-wing governments in the region, establishing right-wing, or even far-right, governments loyal to the US," said Feldman.
Sputnik - US President Donald Trump mentioned the possibility of Brazil joining NATO. Russian analyst Pavel Feldman assessed the possibility of Brazil joining the alliance, as well as what role Brazil could play in the conflict in Venezuela.
During Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's official visit to the U.S., the most important international issues were discussed, including bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and Brazil and the situation in Venezuela.
One of the most sensational statements was the possibility of Brazil joining NATO, mentioned by US President Donald Trump.
Pavel Feldman, deputy director of the Institute for Strategic and Prognostic Studies at the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, revealed in an interview with the Russian service of Radio Sputnik that the US is only one of the NATO countries, and there are other countries whose opinions should be taken into account on this matter.
According to him, if Brazil joins NATO, it will play the role of US watchdog in Latin America.
"During the meeting with Bolsonaro, Trump announced his objective, and this phrase has made many headlines in the West today: he says that the twilight of socialism in Latin America is approaching. In other words, he wants to put an end to all left-wing governments in the region, establishing right-wing, or even far-right, governments loyal to the US. Brazil also represents for him [Trump] an outpost in the fight against Venezuela," he explained.
It is worth highlighting that Bolsonaro has repeatedly stated that he does not plan to authorize the construction of a US military base on Brazilian territory.
According to Feldman, the meeting between Trump and Bolsonaro is demoralizing for Venezuela because "its main adversaries are forming an alliance and surrounding it."
"Brazil's entry into NATO is a kind of guideline for Bolsonaro, but with one condition: use your Armed Forces in Venezuela so that this is done not by the hands of the US, but by the hands of the Brazilian army, and then we will consider the possibility of its accession to NATO," opined the analyst.
According to Feldman, the US cannot dare to carry out a military operation in Venezuela, so they use hybrid warfare instruments there, the pressure of sanctions and, currently, an element of proxy warfare, emphasizing that the pressure against Venezuela is a kind of rehearsal before the US pressure against Iran.
Regarding the possibility of Brazil's participation in a military operation, Bolsonaro stated that his country is not planning to participate in such an operation.
"It's probably difficult for him to imagine how his country could wage war against a neighboring country located in the same region [...], but it could send its special forces there, help with military transport, provide corridors, airfields, and bases for American units and their special forces," he stated.
Commenting on the future of Brazilian-American relations, Feldman said that "today it is right-wing ideology that unites Trump and Bolsonaro. It is no coincidence that Bolsonaro calls himself the 'tropical Trump,' an analogue of Trump in the region, a right-wing and even far-right figure. If the US were governed by the left, and the Democrats today are left-wing, all these issues would be forgotten," the expert concluded.
It should be noted that Bolsonaro promised to strengthen relations with other countries not based on ideology, as, according to him, was the case with the left. However, some experts have a different opinion on this matter (for example, the professor of International Relations Ricardo Cabral stated that Bolsonaro's government wants an alliance more with right-wing American conservatism than with the US).
The Brazilian president carried out his three-day official visit to the USA. Jair Bolsonaro has already signed some agreements that deepen cooperation between the two countries. In the meeting with his American counterpart on Tuesday (19) international issues were discussed, including bilateral trade cooperation, the crisis in Venezuela and the strengthening of relations between Washington and Brasilia.