The United States hopes that the government of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) has an active diplomacy and gets involved in the issue of Venezuela to “improve the conditions of democracy” in the country, tells the Sheet Ricardo Zúniga, one of the main policy makers for Brazil under Joe Biden’s management.
Lula invited Nicolás Maduro to his inauguration and announced the reestablishment of diplomatic relations. Despite this, Zúniga claims that Brazil will also benefit from stability in the region and that there is “an overlapping of interests for the election of a legitimate authority in Caracas.”
Assistant deputy secretary at the State Department and former consul in São Paulo, the diplomat says he expects an active foreign policy from the new Lula government, with involvement in global issues, from the climate to international security. He says he still has confidence in the institutions for an orderly transfer of power, despite the violent protests registered in the country. “The transition must take place in accordance with the will of the people and in accordance with Brazilian institutions”, he says.
Expectations for the new government
One thing we have made clear not only during this intense campaigning period in Brazil, but over decades, is that we have a relationship with Brazil, not with any particular government. Our perception is that there are many continuing interests that we will see reappear in the next government. Brazil is a global player, we expect to see a very active global agenda from this government.
The most obvious is the climate issue, but not the only one, as well as food security, international peace and an active foreign policy in the United Nations and multilateral organizations. It’s something we’ve seen in the past and something we’re looking forward to working on.
[Sobre uma possível nova operação da ONU no Haiti] we are making consultations with Brazil due to its experience in MINUSTAH. We believe that there is an important role for the international community at this time with some kind of multinational support for Haiti’s security. Brazil certainly has a strong interest in seeing conditions in the region improve.
The situation in Venezuela and Lula’s proximity to Maduro
Another area that we believe Brazil has a strong interest in is improving conditions for democracy in Venezuela. As part of the international community, we are very focused on seeing free and fair elections that lead to a government that the entire international community can work with.
Brazil is also interested in this; 6.5 million Venezuelans had to leave the country, there is illegal mining on the border, which affects Brazil’s environment and brings other illegal activities. We have a common interest and I believe it will be important for us to work together towards the goal of a democratic and stable Venezuela.
I don’t believe there is anyone in any democratic country in South America who believes that Venezuela represents a successful society today. A democratic Venezuela is more likely to be a successful Venezuela. We believe that there is an overlap of interests for the election of a legitimate authority in Caracas.
The PT’s relations with China
It is not our policy to tell countries with whom they should have good or bad relations or how they should deal with China. All countries have interests. Our goal is not conflict, but rather to help create a situation where China supports the rules-based world order.
But when we talk about this US-Brazil relationship, we’re talking about two nations, not governments. Brazil is important to the US because it is a great democracy, because most Brazilians want the same kind of world as most Americans, where there is freedom, where people can live in safe communities, where they can choose their own lives. In a world of rising authoritarianism in most parts of the planet, having a partner like Brazil is very important for the US.
US-Brazil relations under Bolsonaro and the change of government
We are two very complex, sometimes turbulent democracies, but we have a high level of common interest. We have made progress in many areas, on economics, security issues and food security. We were also able to deal with areas where we didn’t have the same opinions, because we have a high level of professionalism between diplomats on both sides to deal with differences.
Biden and Bolsonaro had a very positive encounter in Los Angeles in June. Throughout the election, one point that we made very, very clear is that the US would be neutral regardless of the outcome and that we were very confident in the Brazilian electoral system, which would produce a fair and accurate result that the Brazilian people desire. The election once again demonstrated the professionalism and capacity of Brazilian democracy, which in today’s world is no small feat.
We were ready to work with any leader the Brazilian people chose. In this case, it’s a leader we’ve worked with before, which we certainly believe will contribute to our ability to work productively.
Anti-democratic acts in Brazil
We reject the use of political violence in any circumstances. We firmly believe that there will be a transfer of power in Brazil on an ordinary basis and we believe that Brazilian institutions have full capacity to manage even a conflict situation like this.
This is no stranger to the US, of course we experience our own violence during a transition. [a invasão do Capitólio em 2021]🇧🇷 The transition must take place in accordance with the will of the people and in accordance with Brazilian institutions. We are very confident that Brazil will achieve this.
The use of handcuffs on deported immigrants
The entire region is experiencing the largest wave of mass migration in the history of the Americas. Also Brazil, with people entering the country and leaving the country in huge numbers.
We have been working very well with the Brazilian government to try a regional response, particularly through the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, which addresses the humane treatment of migration as much as possible.
We work closely with Brazilian authorities to secure these flights as humanely as possible. These are very long flights and our experience has shown that it is more important to preserve everyone’s safety on these planes.
Financing for the preservation of the Amazon
Climate and global warming are areas in which we expect very active negotiations and discussions with the Brazilian government, which we hope will be a leader at the global level. We always hope to explore creative solutions that can really produce very clear results in terms of combating deforestation and promoting sustainability.
Lula’s inauguration
The American delegation is still in deliberation. What we’re going to see is a lot of interaction between us and the new, high-level team pretty much straight away. And there already was. [O conselheiro de Segurança Nacional da Casa Branca] Jake Sullivan doesn’t get on a plane to go to every new government anywhere, it’s because of the nature of that relationship. Brazil was also the first country that Sullivan visited, during the Bolsonaro administration. This is part of an ongoing relationship.
X-ray | Ricardo Zúniga, 52
Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere at the US Department of State, he is one of the main policy makers for Brazil in the Biden administration. He was consul in São Paulo from 2015 to 2018. Prior to that, he was senior director for the Western Hemisphere at the National Security Council in the Obama administration, when he was one of those responsible for bringing the US closer to Cuba. He was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and studied international relations and Latin American studies at the University of Virginia.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
