Since Lula de Silva took the Brazilian presidency back from what many considered a “radical presidency” under Jair Bolsonaro, came with rallying cries of a victory for Brazil. Riots and peaceful protests occurred for Brazilian conservatives in favor of Bolsonaro but did not prove the fact that he lost the election. Lula has since made promises to revive Brazil’s global influence, fight the gangs, combat climate change, and become a world leader.
Since then, Lula has been struggling to keep a balancing act. His allegiance to BRICS has caught him having sympathies and even defending human rights violations in Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Cuba. Lula has also stated he would not arrest Putin in the G20 summit next year (since redacted his statement). Lula has also not kept his promise to fight the gangs and cartels, which is not sitting well with his constituency. He has also condemned the United States trade embargo on Cuba stating it was illegal.
Lula’s balance between the West and BRICS is where Brazil is falling behind in its global influence. The relationship with Russia has complicated the West’s relationship with Brazil. Brazil is also becoming heavily reliant on China. Over 37% of its agriculture imports come from China, allowing them to keep a firm grip.
Where does Lula go from here? He barely scraped a presidential win, which means his seat is up for grabs. But, luckily he has some important future events. Brazil is the president of the G20 this upcoming year. Like India, he has the ability to exert influence and put Brazil’s culture on the international stage. Lula can use this platform to champion climate change policy, including the global south in global initiatives, potential peace talks with Ukraine, and human rights action.
Lula can balance Brazil’s policy between the West and BRICS. For Brazil to become a global power, it needs to do so. The G20 summit next year is the stage he wanted. It sure worked for India and Modi. Now, let’s see if Brazil and Lula can do the same.
Author: Joshua Cheatham
