quem sabe se ela acredita no original “A political giant but a moral pygmy,” Moisés Naím, editor of Foreign Policy magazine, remarked recently.
2010/4/21 RioBORG <[email protected]> > > > pra ele acreditar só mandando a copia autenticada do original assinada pelo > papa e por deus > -- > GRATO. > > Brazil’s faces barrier to UN security seat > > By John Paul Rathbone > > Published: April 19 2010 18:05 | Last updated: April 19 2010 18:05 > > Hillary Clinton, trying to stop what she fears is a warpath in the Middle > East, is on a warpath of her own. > > The US secretary of state is fighting to convince doubting countries of the > merits of sanctions against Iran. Sceptics include Turkey (Iran’s > neighbour), China (a traditional disbeliever) and Brazil. > > Brazil? Having sailed through the global financial crisis, it has become > important in the comedy of nations, almost without anyone noticing. Only > last week, Brasilia hosted the leaders of China, Russia and India at the > second “Brics” summit – with South Africa along for good measure. > > More remarkable still has been the speed of Brazil’s ascent. It first > attended a G8 summit only six years ago, as an observer. Back then, it had > about 1,000 diplomats stationed around the world. Now there are 1,400. Last > year, it even opened an embassy in Pyongyang. > > “Brazil, Russia, India and China have a fundamental role in creating a new > international order,” President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said last week. > > That is the kind of imperial language one might expect of Russia or China. > In Mr Lula da Silva’s case, however, it is sugared by the 64-year-old former > labour leader’s global image as a common man – or “the man”, as Barack Obama > once called him. > > Certainly, Brazil’s leader suffered no discomfort in embracing Mrs Clinton > one day in March and President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad of Iran the next – as he > plans to do again during a visit to Tehran next month. > > “I am infected by the peace virus,” Mr Lula da Silva once said. Brazil’s > defence minister has even remarked that the country has no enemies. > > However, Brazil’s rainbow policy may be reaching its limits and could even > jeopardise the permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council that it > covets. > > Recent gaffes have stretched the bounds of Brazil’s honeyed image, and that > of its president, too. “A political giant but a moral pygmy,” Moisés Naím, > editor of Foreign Policy magazine, remarked recently. > > There was the moment in February when Orlando Zapata, a human-rights > activist in Cuba, died after an 86-day hunger strike. “I don’t think a > hunger strike can be used as a pretext for human rights to free people,” > commented Mr Lula da Silva, despite the fact that he staged his own protest > fast during Brazil’s military dictatorship. > > Then there is neighbouring Colombia, which Brazil has criticised for its > agreement with the US over military bases, while ignoring Venezuela’s > support for Colombia’s Farc guerrillas, and Caracas’s purchases of Russian > arms. > > Finally, there is Iran. Last year, Mr Lula da Silva congratulated Mr > Ahmadi-Nejad for his contested election victory. After likening protesters > to sore losers in a football match, he invited Mr Ahmadi-Nejad to Brazil. It > was part of the self-styled role that Brasilia, which supports Iran’s right > to nuclear power but not to nuclear arms, has adopted as peacebroker to all > men. > > To critics, this is gadfly foreign policy – narcissistic and naive. But > like all powerful countries, Brazil is pursuing what it believes are its > interests. Whether it is doing so effectively is another matter. > > Brazilian diplomats are widely acknowledged as skilful negotiators, > especially in trade. But the country lacks the research networks that inform > the world views of, say, Washington or Moscow. It is not used to the > floodlights of international opinion. Inevitably, it has made mistakes. > > These have cost Brazil little, so far. Trade comprises only a fifth of the > economy, so the need to maintain western commercial goodwill is not > decisive. Foreign-policy issues count for little among domestic voters. Nor > does it face any immediate problems on its borders. Brazil is less bound by > security challenges, economic necessity or domestic politics than most. It > can afford to say as it pleases – on Iran or otherwise. > > Even so, many feel that if Brazil is to sit at the top table it will have > to take hard choices. Brazil could help to get the Doha round of world trade > talks off the ground – to its great eventual gain. But that would mean > pushing on issues, such as intellectual property, that could disconcert > current friends. > > More challenging will be what will happen after October’s presidential > election, when Brazil will have to manage without the cover of Mr Lula da > Silva’s charm. Its image as a cuddly imperium may not endure. > Copyright <http://www.ft.com/servicestools/help/copyright> The Financial > Times Limited 2010. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut > articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the we >
