Brazil isolates itself during the pandemic to remain in 'automatic alignment' with the US, says analyst.
"What Trump indicated is: although Brazil is an ally, if necessary, we can displease that ally to benefit our domestic audience," assesses Karina Mariano, professor of International Relations at Unesp.
Sputnik Brazil - With the possibility of the US suspending all commercial flights to and from Brazil, the contradiction in Itamaraty's (Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs) international policy strategy is exposed, according to an expert interviewed by Sputnik Brazil.
Speaking at the White House on Tuesday (28), President Donald Trump said that Brazil is experiencing "virtually an outbreak" of coronavirus and did not rule out suspending all commercial flights between the two countries, a measure previously adopted against China.
This Wednesday (29), US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the normalization of flights between the countries is important for economic recovery and that he would talk to the Brazilian Foreign Minister, Ernesto Araújo, about the matter.
According to Karina Mariano, a professor of international relations at São Paulo State University (Unesp), President Jair Bolsonaro's (no party affiliation) strategy is one of "automatic alignment" with Washington, and Brazil is paying the price for being one of the worst countries in the world in the fight against the pandemic.
"Trump is trying to show concern about the situation in the US; he is being heavily criticized for his actions during the pandemic, for being slow to act, for downplaying the problem at the beginning, and for the, let's say, unfortunate statements he made throughout this process in press conferences," says Mariano. "What Trump indicated is: although Brazil is an ally, if necessary, we can displease this ally to benefit our domestic audience."
The presidential elections scheduled for this year in the US are part of Trump's calculations, according to a professor at Unesp.
Currently, the US State Department's guideline recommends against visiting Brazil, and the US embassy in Brazil advised its citizens to leave the country back in March.
Brazil has already surpassed the mark of 5 deaths caused by the pandemic. In the United States, there are more than one million confirmed cases and 60 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
International isolation
Mariano believes that recent friction with China is harming Brazil. Statements by federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PSL-SP) and the Minister of Education, Abraham Weintraub, have caused discontent in Beijing — which responded harshly to the stance taken by Brazilian authorities.
"China was an important partner in the European case; it sent doctors to help fight the pandemic in Italy. It could be an important partner because it faced [the pandemic] first, has lessons learned that could be passed on, and is also the largest producer of all the supplies and safety equipment needed to combat the pandemic," he says.
According to the international relations expert, Brazil is currently distancing itself diplomatically from its neighbors, Mercosur, China, and BRICS. She believes Bolsonaro's strategy is to bet on "conflict."
"There's an inconsistency in these strategies that I honestly can't understand the objective of. Unless I think the logic is to keep this conflict alive, this permanent tension, to guarantee, let's say, this discourse of chaos, based on the logic of 'us against them.' We're seeing that it's not leading to good results, but the government insists."