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Brazil's foreign policy
Lula and his squabbling friends
Aug 13th 2009 | BRASÍLIA
From The Economist print edition
A bold Brazilian attempt to integrate South America has run into difficulty. Critics at home say
Brazil should put national interest over leftist ideology
Illustration by David Simonds
WHEN the leaders of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUL in Portuguese), a 12-country group
inspired by Brazil, met in Ecuador’s capital, Quito, on August 10th, there was little spirit of union. Their
meeting followed a row between Venezuela and Colombia, whose president, Álvaro Uribe, did not attend,
in part because Ecuador broke off diplomatic relations with his country last year.
Hugo Chávez, Venezuela’s president, backed by his allies, Bolivia and Ecuador, wanted to condemn
Colombia for granting facilities at seven military bases to the United States, which is helping it battle
guerrillas and drug-traffickers. “Winds of war are blowing,” he thundered. Four countries, including Chile
and Peru, backed Colombia. Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, tried to damp down the dispute,
suggesting that the group meet both Barack Obama and Mr Uribe to seek reassurances about the use of
the bases. But then Mr Chávez launched a diatribe against Colombia and Mr Obama. Lula cut short his
visit to Ecuador and headed home, giving warning that UNASUL could “cease to be an integration process,
becoming just a group of friends.” If only.
This fiasco provides fuel for both sides in a long-running debate in Brazil about the foreign policy of the
Lula government. The critics, who include several senior former diplomats, accuse the government of
placing ideology above Brazil’s national interest—especially in policy towards South America.
Lula’s predecessor, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, sought to boost trade and other ties with the United
States and Europe. On taking office in 2003, Lula placed new stress on south-south ties. Brazil has
doubled the number of its embassies in Africa, to 30, and joined or set up a clutch of new clubs. These
include IBSA, with India and South Africa, of which Itamaraty, the foreign ministry, is especially proud.
As evidence that this policy has borne fruit, Celso Amorim, the foreign minister, points out that most of
Brazil’s trade is now with developing countries, thus anticipating Mr Obama’s advice that the world should
not rely on the United States as consumer of last resort. He concedes that Brazil does not agree with the
other big emerging powers on everything, but they do share an interest in trying to change the way that
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