The laudatory mentions of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) by leaders of the military regime in Brazil are well-known — from repeated mentions of the torturer Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra to public tributes to presidents of the period.
When it comes to foreign policy, however, its relationship with dictatorships and authoritarian governments does not follow a pattern and is mainly determined by the side of the ideological spectrum of these regimes.
Bolsonaro frequently taunts former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) for his relationship with left-wing Latin American dictatorships such as Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.
At the same time, he has already praised several historical dictators in the region, such as the Chilean Augusto Pinochet and the Paraguayan Alfredo Stroessner. And he not only maintains close ties with far-right representatives who are his contemporaries, elected in the wake of the rise of Trumpism, but also with Middle Eastern leaders whose regimes are marred by human rights violations.
Below is a brief history of the current president’s relations with authoritarian leaders and regimes:
United States
Bolsonaro inspires much of his political performance on that of former President Donald Trump — including the coup-mongering rhetoric that, intensified on the eve of the elections in both cases, resulted in an invasion of the Capitol in the American context.
The Republican has become a model for the far-right that has risen to power in the last decade, making use of massive digital strategies and advocating conservative agendas. Trump supports Bolsonaro’s re-election, giving the Brazilian back the support expressed in the clash with Joe Biden.
Russia
Eight days before the start of the Ukrainian War, Bolsonaro met with Vladimir Putin. After the meeting, the Brazilian said he was “in solidarity with Russia”, causing a diplomatic impasse amid the tension that already existed between Moscow and Kiev.
Putin has been in power for more than 20 years and has been controversial not only for his invasion of the neighboring country, but also for his repression of dissidents and opponents and human rights violations.
Hungary
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is one of Bolsonaro’s biggest international allies. He has already been called “brother” by the Brazilian and supports his re-election – the Hungarian even offered to help the campaign at a ministerial meeting.
In his ten years in power, Orbán managed to pass laws that usurped university autonomy, set back the rights of the LGBTQIA+ population and concentrated power in his hands. He is also accused of human rights violations and criticized for anti-immigration and press freedom measures.
Poland
Polish President Andrzej Duda was one of the few leaders Bolsonaro met during the last UN General Assembly. Since his victory at the polls, Duda’s party has implemented reforms to increase control over the judiciary, which have led to an ongoing European Union investigation and the country’s demotion in democratic freedom rankings.
Latin America
After progressive leaders won presidential elections in countries like Colombia, Bolivia and Chile, the president was left without major local allies. Some of the left-wing leaders on the right share autocratic tendencies with him, however.
This is the case of Alejandro Giammattei, elected in Guatemala with a platform for defending Christian values and fighting crime similar to that of the Brazilian and with whom his government has been strengthening ties. And also Nayib Bukele, president of El Salvador who has dubbed himself the “coolest dictator” on the networks – he has rigged the Supreme Court, has acted to silence the independent press and decreed a state of exception followed by a series of allegations of abuse. and mistreatment.
Middle East
Bolsonaro racked up visits to controversial leaders in a tour of the region late last year. In the United Arab Emirates, he met with Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the emir of Dubai accused of kidnapping and preventing two of his daughters from leaving the country; in Qatar, host of the next World Cup and scene of several human rights violations, he participated in a motorcycle.
On a previous trip to the region, the Brazilian described Saudi Arabia’s prince, Mohammed bin Salman, as an “almost brother”. MBS, as he is known, is accused of having a dissident journalist quartered, kidnapping his own mother, supporting jihadists, imposing restrictions on women and homosexuals and persecuting religions, banning the practice of Christianity in the Muslim-majority country.
Africa
The president of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, is a declared admirer of Bolsonaro, and was personally invited by him to visit Brazil last year. The Guinean is accused of rigging the state, appointing soldiers instead of civil servants to key posts, and defends a reform of the Constitution, which, for opponents, would aim to concentrate more power in his hands.
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