Brazilian general in the US army could affect relations with Russia and China.

247, with Sputnik - Brazil's decision to send an officer to join the United States Armed Forces is likely to disrupt the country's relations with important allies, such as China and Russia. This assessment comes from international relations expert Paulo Velasco, who spoke to Sputnik on Monday (18) about this controversial issue.

Last week, news broke in Brazil that the country will nominate a general by the end of the year to fill a post at the U.S. Southern Command (SouthCom), which covers Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, sparking controversy.

According to the commander in charge, Admiral Craig Faller (pictured), US interests in the region are threatened by Russia, China, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua, countries with which Brazil's relations could be damaged because of this situation, according to Velasco, adjunct professor of International Politics at the Department of International Relations of the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ).

"Certainly, the presence of a Brazilian officer, a general, at the Southern Command does hinder bilateral relations, whether between Brazil and Russia or between Brazil and China," he said in an interview with Sputnik Brazil, explaining that the tendency is for this to affect only the political field, not extending to the economic sector, due to a set of recent factors.

The analyst points out that the surprise in this case stems from the fact that this type of practice is not common in Brazilian foreign relations, unlike what happens with other countries.

"We are used to seeing our generals, high-ranking officers, participating in international missions under the flags of international organizations, such as the UN or the OAS. But seeing a Brazilian general in the Southern Command, under US command, is something that is truly surprising and certainly has the capacity to interfere in relations with major actors, such as Russia and China."

In a recent comment on the matter, former Brazilian Foreign Minister and former Defense Minister Celso Amorim said that Brazil would be "getting itself into a trap" by accepting this type of military cooperation with the United States. According to Velasco, from the American side, this type of stance would represent a sign of a high level of mutual trust, "which is certainly a positive thing," although there are "other ways to do it."

"There are multiple possible agreements. Brazil, in fact, has several agreements signed with the United States throughout its history that serve the same purpose: to guarantee mutual trust, exchange of information, cooperation in the field of armaments, joint military maneuvers... This is relatively common."