Why Macron is the target of Brazilian President Bolsonaro

The Brazilian president and his minister of education insulted Emmanuel Macron and his wife on social networks, Sunday, August 25. Remarks of a rare violence in the diplomatic sphere, revealing a deep tension between the two countries, analyzes the researcher Frédéric Louault.

The G7 Biarritz, which ended Monday, August 26, was marked by a diplomatic pass of arms between Brazil and France. Faced with the fires of giant forests ravaging the Amazon, whose responsibility is attributed to the policy led by President Jair Bolsonaro, Emmanuel Macron announced on August 23 that France "would no longer support the EU-Russia Free Trade Agreement. Mercosur " concluded in early July between the countries of the European Union and the Latin American economic community.

A decision that did not please the Brazilian president. Jair Bolsonaro was quick to respond, denouncing the "colonialist mentality" of the French president. Sunday, August 25, the Brazilian Minister of Education has treated the head of state "moron" , while Bolsonaro attacked the physique of Brigitte Macron. Words that Macron described as "extraordinarily disrespectful" .

Brazil has also decided to reject the $ 20 million proposed by the G7 to fight fires, President Jair Bolsonaro's chief of staff announced on Tuesday (August 27th). He also advised the French president to look after "his house and his settlements" .

This virulence of tone, almost unheard of in diplomatic circles, is indicative of important tensions between the two presidents, but also a weakening of Jair Bolsonaro in the Brazilian public opinion, says the Brazilian specialist, Frédéric Louault, Associate researcher at SciencesPo's Center for International Studies and Research (CERI) and Professor at the Free University of Brussels. Interview.

What is the state of diplomatic relations between France and Brazil since the arrival of Bolsonaro in power?

The first tensions between France and Brazil appeared just after the election of Jair Bolsonaro in October 2018. Emmanuel Macron was one of the only heads of state to say he was ready to work with the new far-right president. in the respect of democratic values ​​" , which should not have pleased the new executive.

The two countries then maintained diplomatic relations, "cordial", that is to say normal, until the annoying cancellation of the meeting between Jean-Yves Drian and Jair Bolsonaro in Brasilia, at the beginning of July.

On which subjects do Brazil and France disagree?

There are several of them. The free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur first, carried mainly by Germany and Spain, was difficult to accept for France, which obtained the introduction of a non-binding environmental precautionary principle.

The positions of the French head of state on the environment and deforestation, even before the fires in the Amazon, have made a lot of ink in Brazil: the Amazon rainforest is seen as an issue of national sovereignty and the Brazilians hardly appreciate that strangers tell them how to handle it.

But the main stumbling block remains the values, opposite on either side of the Atlantic. Jair Bolsonaro has turned away from the European Union, and his far-right government sees Emmanuel Macron as a symbol of these elites hated and cut off from the people.

The remarks of Jair Bolsonaro and his Minister of Education to the presidential couple are particularly virulent. A sudden rage of anger, or a deliberate strategy on the part of the Brazilian president?

It is more worrying than that, it is a real way to do on behalf of the Brazilian government and head of state. It's this kind of behavior that won Jair Bolsonaro's victory! The further he goes in provocation, the more he is appreciated by his core electorate.

This aggressive way of dealing with his foreign counterparts is not new, Donald Trump is also using it. But Jair Bolsonaro has not understood that Brazil does not have the same power as the United States on the international scene, and that it is more difficult for him to behave in this way.

Emmanuel Macron questioned the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur. Can these brutal words urge the countries of the European Union to do the same?

The other states of the European Union, Germany in the first place, reacted unfavorably to Emmanuel Macron's announcement to block the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur.

I do not think that Jair Bolsonaro's insults will have an impact on their bilateral relations with Brazil, nor that they will make them change their minds about the free trade agreement, because Mercosur is not limited to this one. State. The Latin American economic community includes six South American countries, including Argentina, and several other associated countries. For Germany or Spain, it does not make sense to sanction them economically because of some statements by Jair Bolsonaro.

What does Brazilian public opinion think of the behavior of its president?

The Bolsonaro clan and its government are exploiting this crisis and presenting it as a matter of national sovereignty. These polemical statements are made on social networks, and then widely relayed on the Internet in Whatsapp or Facebook groups that support the head of state.

But Jair Bolsonaro faces an erosion of its popularity in recent months: its environmental policy, in particular, is much criticized and major events have taken place in recent weeks to demand more action in this area.

Brazilian public opinion is very divided, and it is still unclear whether this crisis will allow Bolsonaro to regain or regain popularity, or not.

How to solve this diplomatic crisis?

Jair Bolsonaro will not come back on his words. For his part, Emmanuel Macron has no interest in outbidding the personal attacks of the Brazilian president, nor to enter his game. However, France can maintain pressure on Brazil by other means, including economic. Brazilian entrepreneurs are quite embarrassed by the behavior of their president ...

Jair Bolsonaro has yielded to some international pressure by sending the army to fight fires in the Amazon, he considers it a step forward enough. Meanwhile, the international announcement of a series of actions against fires, by the United Kingdom and Colombia in particular, will help to dilute the tension. So I think the most virulent part of this crisis is behind us.

Share this article