Joe Biden, President of the United States of America (Photo: Greg Nash – Pool / Getty Image)
Node for new US government through President Jires Bolsonaro on Wednesday the day Joe Biden took office, still insufficient to promote relations between the two countries with the White House under the new direction is. Experts say they believe that if Brazil is to associate itself with a democratic government, it will need to adopt more concrete changes. “This letter was important and necessary. It shows that the Bolsonaro government understood that Joe Biden is the President of the United States. It’s a good move, but it took time,” said Tom Shannon, who was the US ambassador during Brazil. Part of the Barack Obama Administration.
In a message sent to Biden, Bolsonaro highlighted the relationship between Brazil and the United States and maintained a partnership for sustainable development and protection of the environment. But the new tone of contact with the US government came after Brazil’s delay in recognizing Biden’s victory – it was the last G20 country to congratulate him -, with statements of support and praise by Donald Trump and speeches by the Brazilian president But Bolsanaro’s insistence itself denies the pillars of democratic government, such as the recognition of the severity of the climate crisis. Lisa Wiskey, director of the Energy and Climate Program at the American Study Center, says, “I think the Biden government was satisfied with Bolsonaro’s hope of collaborating with the United States to protect the environment, but I think Americans are more solid. Will look for a solution. ” Inter-American Dialogue in Washington.
The main point of friction between governments is environmental policy, which is one of the axis of Biden’s foreign policy. Trump was one of the main proponents of climate denial, which was copied by the Bolsonaro government. But this is not the only point where changes in the status of the United States should expose or isolate Brazil. Since the beginning of the Bolsonaro government, Brazil has adopted positions on an international platform aligned with the Trump administration, which should be refuted in Biden’s mandate. Last year, with the Trump administration, Brazil aligned itself with 31 other countries – many of them dictatorships or Muslim-majority countries – such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan – in an international statement against policies providing access to abortion In. In the first three days of work, the Biden government has already shown that it will adopt a different position and signal its exit from the country’s conservative coalition, of which Brazil is a part. Announcing that the United States will no longer back the World Health Organization on Thursday, the Biden government has said that the country will support women’s reproductive rights worldwide. The next day, a statement on behalf of Biden and Kamala Harris was celebrated as the 48th anniversary of the Supreme Court, known as Roe Vs. Wade, who recognized the woman’s right to abortion without undue restrictions by the government.
Shannon says, “Now the tricky part will come: changing the relationship that is personalized, based on Bolsonaro’s contact with Donald Trump in a relationship between two nations. Biden won’t have a personal relationship with Bolsonaro,” says Shannon . Budget cuts for environmental agencies in Brazil, relaxed environmental monitoring and continued rhetoric against Bolonaro’s environmentalists have given people the green light to illegally cut forests without consequences. Brazil should improve these areas to show that it leads to conservation. Amazon seriously, ”says Lisa Wiskey.
In the letter to Biden, Bolsonaro talked about Brazil’s commitment to the Paris climate agreement – which he threatened to abandon during the election campaign, as Trump did. In 2019, when newspaper covers around the world featured photos of the burning Amazon, with reports making links between the loosening of environmental regulation and the state of the jungle during the Bolsonaro government, Chancellor Ernesto Arauzo reiterated “climate alarmism” . In a lecture in Washington. At the same time, during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Bolsonaro said that it was a “mistake” to say that “the Amazon is a legacy of humanity” and that the forest is the lung of the world. In an argument with Trump, Biden promised to “bring the world together” to collect money to preserve the Amazon, and said there would be economic consequences if Brazil was not committed to protecting the wilderness.
In the government plan, Biden promised “name and shame”, which he considered a “robber” of the climate and published a list called the Global Report on Climate Change, to assess how the countries had made promises in the Paris Agreement Whether it is completed or not. Measures to reduce the problem of others. For Shannon, the Biden government does not want to highlight Brazil as a negative example, as it believes in the strength of partnership with the country. But the pace of approximation would need to be made by Bolsonaro. “We all know where Biden comes from, what is his foreign policy approach, we know he will focus on alliances and partnerships, multilateral institutions and can answer for mutual problems. The question is whether Brazil wants to work in this way. The government will need to show the will to do this, Bolsonro said, “Shannon said.
The pressure of the Democratic Party itself is against Brazil. The diplomat says, “The party has abortion rights, protection of indigenous people, LGBTQ communities, environmental posts. The positions for which the Bolsonaro government cannot agree.”
The unions in Washington near the Democratic Party’s left wing responded to Bolsonaro’s message. Juliana Moras, Washington director of the association US Network, says, “This letter is covert, superficial and inconsistent with your government’s actions. The letter lacks concrete action.” For democracy in Brazil. The letter “has no relevance for Amazon without a radical change in its environmental policy”, for Andrew Miller, director of public policies for Amazon Watch. Miller says, “Bolsonaro’s project of destruction and weakening of environmental agencies is the same for Amazon.” Information is from the newspaper s. State of Paulo.
