Greed and paranoia: US downgrades relationship with the country.
On the eve of Barack Obama's promised response to President Dilma Rousseff's objective questions – such as when, where, and why the US spied on the Brazilian government and Petrobras? – the balance of bilateral relations is the worst in decades; greed over oil, invasion of privacy, and distrust in bilateral dialogue tarnish an old friendship; new ambassador Lilian Ayalde had to justify to the Paraguayan government, in 2010, the spying on presidential candidates; there, with Lilian in the embassy, a coup deposed President Fernando Lugo in 72 hours; the statement by chief spy James Clapper sets the tone for Obama: "It's no secret that we collect information on economic and financial matters"; Brazil's strengthening in the world leads Americans to throw good relations to the wind; very friendly!
247 – In 2010, when she was the United States ambassador to Paraguay, Lilian Ayalde, now the American ambassador in Brasília, was summoned by the Paraguayan foreign ministry to explain allegations published on WikiLeaks that the US intelligence service had monitored and profiled all presidential candidates in the country, including the one who actually won the election, Fernando Lugo. Two years later, she was still in charge of the American representation in Asunción when Lugo was deposed by a parliamentary coup in less than 72 hours, from accusation to trial and conviction. She assumed her post in Brasília last week.
On Sunday the 8th, amidst the understandable irritation of the Brazilian government regarding reports that the US National Security Agency (NSA) had hacked into Petrobras' computers to extract information about the pre-salt oil reserves, NSA Director James Clapper issued an official statement that began: "It is no secret that the Intelligence Community collects information on economic and financial matters and on the financing of terrorism" (full text below). A sort of shrugging off Brazilian complaints.
Looking President Dilma Rousseff in the eye, in a private meeting during the G20 summit, President Barack Obama stated that he knew nothing about the NSA's electronic intrusion into the computers of the Brazilian state-owned oil company and, as previously alleged, into the personal and professional correspondence of his Brazilian counterpart. He promised official information by Wednesday the 11th.
Don't expect any mea culpa from Obama. As the chief spy Clapper made clear, the US doesn't care if the world knows that its political practice includes "economic and financial matters." In his note, he separated things, adding "and terrorist financing." Two themes, two espionage operations. The same discourse had been maintained, at the end of last month, during an official trip to the country, by Secretary of State John Kerry, the young man from the 1970s who was against the Vietnam War and who has now become a herald of the bombings in Syria.
With the greed demonstrated by spying on Brazilian oil, the distrust revealed by monitoring Dilma Rousseff, and the brazenness shown by appointing an ambassador who witnessed firsthand, possibly as a key player, a coup against the president of a neighboring country, the United States is sending a clear message to Brazil: the level of diplomatic relations has changed. And it has changed to a much lower level than before.
From an unconditional and strategic ally during the military dictatorship, Brazil has come to be seen by the US, in recent decades, as a powerful adversary in multilateral negotiation and decision-making bodies. With a discourse tailored to the demands of developing countries, Brazilian diplomacy has gained new ground in the last 20 years, culminating in winning an election to lead the influential World Trade Organization (WTO). Before this climax, the country had already assumed antagonistic roles to the US on several other occasions, including denying authorization at the UN for the invasion of Iraq.
Instead of adjusting the dialogue in a civilized manner, Barack Obama's USA has gone into reverse. In this sense, Ambassador Ayalde may be the 21st-century version of the infamous Lincoln Gordon, the American ambassador who orchestrated the 1964 military coup on the international front.
It is common knowledge in Brazilian diplomacy that Republican presidents traditionally show more sympathy towards Brazil than Democratic leaders. However, it was unimaginable that under the leadership of a president who could be considered progressive, diplomatic relations between the two countries would be reduced to their lowest level in a long time. Dialogue, following the espionage revelations, has simply given way to espionage. Where there was once a friendly country, what we see now is a nation whose behavior is that of a political and commercial adversary.
Without a convincing answer regarding the methods, motives, and aims of the espionage practiced against Brazil, as well as corresponding measures to end this practice, all Obama will gain is the coldness and distance of a disappointed Brazil. If the intention was to ruin years of work to rebuild a cordial and honest relationship between the two countries, Obama, with his foreign policy conducted in secrecy, is doing everything right.
Statement by Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Regarding Economic Espionage Allegations
September 09th, 2013
Sunday, September 8, 2013
It is no secret that the Intelligence Community collects information on economic and financial matters and on the financing of terrorism.
We collect this information for many important reasons. It can give the United States and our allies early warnings about potential international financial crises that could negatively impact the global economy. It can also alert us to trends or economic policy behaviors in other countries that could affect global markets.
Our intelligence gathering on terrorist financing saves lives. Since 9/11, the Intelligence Community has been successful in dismantling terrorist networks by investigating their financial activities around the world. International criminal organizations, distributors of weapons of mass destruction, illicit arms dealers, or nations attempting to evade international sanctions may also be targeted by actions to advance the interests of the U.S. and our allies.
What we do not do, as we have stated many times, is use our overseas intelligence capabilities to steal trade secrets from foreign companies on behalf of – or provide intelligence information we have gathered to – American companies to increase their international competitiveness or improve their bottom line.
As previously stated, the United States collects foreign intelligence—as do many other governments—to enhance the security of our citizens and protect our interests and those of our allies around the world. The Intelligence Community's efforts to understand economic systems and policies and to monitor anomalous economic activity are crucial for policymakers to have access to the information they need to make well-informed decisions that protect our national security.
James R. Clapper, Director of National Intelligence