Hours after his arrival in Argentina on his first visit abroad as Brazil's president, Lula da Silva tweeted that his country
"returns to the international scene
" and that his goal is to "strengthen Mercosur," a break with the trend Jair Bolsonaro's isolationist and a strong signal of what was already on the horizon in the campaign would be a central aspect of Lula's new government:
to put Brazil back on the international scene
.
In this sense, the arrival of Lula in Buenos Aires to participate in the VII Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) also has a clear symbolic weight, as Bolsonaro decided to withdraw Brazil from the summit in 2020 for considering that "
it gave prominence to non-democratic regimes
".
CELAC, which was created in 2010 to include all the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, unlike Unasur, which does not include Mexico, and compared to the OAS, influenced by the United States, seeks to establish itself again as a
capable actor to advance regional interests
.
Lula da Silva is already in Argentina, where he will have meetings with Alberto Fernández and will participate in CELAC.
Photo Maxi Failla
The appearance of CELAC coincided with a particular geopolitical moment for Latin America.
With the strong attention of the United States focused on the war against terrorism, the weakening of the OAS and the wear and tear of the inter-American institutions, the possibility of a new organization capable of channeling the concerns of the region appeared.
The return of Brazil to CELAC at a critical moment for the region,
mired in economic stagnation for almost a decade,
and without the resources of past times.
The reincorporation of the most important country in the region opens up the possibilities of laying the foundations for real integration.
In this sense, analysts point out that CELAC has hopefully learned from the lessons of past divisions in the continent and
avoid falling into the ideologization
that occurred with other instances.
Lula and the international arena
Brazilian foreign policy was perhaps the sector that suffered the most from the disruption caused by the Bolsonaro government.
It is, in this sense, one of the fields to which all analysts expect Lula to
pay more attention and spend more time
, even when his ability to make progress is restricted by current circumstances.
Lula's arrival in Buenos Aires, where he was received by Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero.
Photo: AFP
The crisis caused by climate change, one of the issues that Araujo attacked with the most ferocity, is shaping up to be the spearhead for Lula's reinsertion on the international scene, as it is a field in which he can
find coincidences with the United States .
United States, China and the European Union
.
His speech at the climate summit in Egypt, where he promised to "stop" deforestation in the Amazon, was widely covered by the international press and gave the first indication of the popularity of the PT leader on the international stage.
“I think Lula is going to give importance to the international scene, because he is more popular outside of Brazil than inside.
The controversy over the accusations of corruption does not weigh so much outside the country, and
that aspect will be greatly emphasized
”, points out in this sense the political analyst Oliver Stuenkel, who is also a Professor of International Relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation.
The situation in Latin America, however, presents a different scenario.
Although Lula is going to encounter several governments with which she has an ideological affinity, each one of them is dealing with important domestic problems, added to the economic problems aggravated by the pandemic that are not being corrected.
To this we must add that Venezuelan oil is no longer available to
finance integration strategies
.
“The region today is less interested in promoting an integration process largely because it is going through a period of deindustrialization.
There are no longer so many Brazilian companies that favor the Argentine market, for example”, says Stuenkel.
“Most likely, his achievements are more symbolic than concrete, given the convulsed international scene.
The movement for deglobalization, the protection of economies, play against him when it comes to making strong trade agreements,” says Ramos, who is a research sociologist at
The New School for Social Research
and a specialist in Brazilian foreign policy.
look also
Argentina and Brazil: the most important differences in the economies of the two partners
CELAC Summit: Lula Da Silva and Miguel Díaz-Canel arrived in Argentina
