the PT responds to the lobby of autocracies

Through controversial speeches and international trips, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) has already provided many signs that Brazil supports the authoritarian governments of Russia, China, Venezuela and Cuba. But this relationship went beyond the diplomatic sphere and advanced into the political field with the direct approach of the Workers’ Party (PT) and parliamentarians from other parties within the government base with the communist parties of China and Cuba and with parliamentarians from the Venezuelan dictatorships. and Russia.

The action is part of an effort by Russia and China, which includes diplomatic and lobby political, to approach nations in Africa and Latin America in search of international support. It takes place in a scenario, triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has been called by international analysts “Cold War 2.0”. Russia and China are trying to attract as many allies as possible to a bloc that antagonizes the United States and its allies in the G7 (group of the seven largest liberal economies on the planet).

In recent days, the PT has demonstrated that it has responded to the lobby done by these nations. A delegation of eight parliamentarians from the party arrived in Russia, between September 29th and October 2nd, to participate in the Russia-Latin America International Parliamentary Conference, an event promoted by the Russian government. And, shortly before that, the party received, at its headquarters in Brasília, a delegation from the Communist Party of China. On that occasion, the parties signed “international cooperation” agreements.

A People’s Gazette He sought out the PT to take a stance on rapprochement with Russia and China, but received no response. The space remains open for demonstrations.

For the doctor in Philosophy from PUCRS and master in International Relations from UFRGS Cezar Roedel, China and Russia have used the “conceptual fragility” of countries in the so-called Global South to make Latin America a “proper terrain for all sorts of obtuse interests ”. According to the expert, most developing nations have a “fetish with autocracies” and create a “glimpse of the idea that they are creating a new pole of power and a ‘new global governance’”.

“The globalist South challenges the current order and even international law. He believes that a new world can emerge under the aegis of autocratic powers that challenge Western hegemony. They prefer mercantile and ideological pragmatism with dictatorships than the complex path of defending democracy”, analyzes Roedel.

The PT’s nods to China’s advances

A People’s Gazette, experts explained that it is common for parties to seek alliances with counterpart parties in other countries around the world. The PT’s choices for such approaches, however, generate discomfort. This year, members of the Brazilian party went to China to meet with parliamentarians from the Chinese Communist Party with the aim of identifying possible bilateral agreements. The trip took place in June.

Three months later, it was the PT’s turn to receive a delegation from China. Led by Li Xi — secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China —, the parties signed international cooperation agreements. A People’s Gazettethe PT justified that such meetings were common and the association between the parties has been going on for four decades.

But the Chinese Communist Party, led by Xi Jinping, has a much more Marxist-Leninist orientation than the Chinese governments of recent decades. Under Hu Jintao (2002-2012) and Jiang Zemin (1987-2002), China was seen in the light of a country that made pragmatic economic reforms, allowed private enterprises, attracted foreign investment and increased individual freedoms. Xi revived Mao Zedong’s policies by increasing control over society and decreasing individual freedoms. The Chinese economy returned to the nationalization trend, successful businessmen began to be persecuted and the country adopted a warmongering stance.

China was also accused of crimes against the human rights of ethnic minorities, of restricting the population’s access to the internet and of manipulating the news published in the local press.

These characteristics show the contradiction of the discourse defending democracy adopted by Lula and the PT. The president usually minimizes this fact and states that Brazil has a policy of non-interference in the issues of other countries. He also always remembers that China is Brazil’s largest trading partner. In recent months, however, Lula has made statements making it clear that his interests in Beijing go beyond trade.

During a meeting with Li Xi in Brasília, Lula even said that his party “has a strong relationship with the Chinese Communist Party”. “It is always a joy to be able to welcome a sister country. A country with which we maintain an extraordinary relationship, not just from a commercial point of view, but from a political point of view”, continued Lula. The Brazilian president also said that he has “all the good will and willingness to establish an increasingly strong relationship with China”.

Meeting in Russia had members from PT, PCdoB, PSB, MDB and PSD

China began to suffer sanctions and isolation from the West when it fought a trade war with the United States that began in 2018. Russian isolation began to occur after the country decided to invade Ukraine in 2022.

Seeing his international support diminish since the start of the war, Vladimir Putin began to repeat Xi Jinping’s strategy to attract attention from countries in the Global South. With the intention of bringing Latin American countries closer to the “wonders of Russian development”, the Kremlin organized the Russia-Latin America International Parliamentary Conference.

At the meeting, meetings were held with approximately 200 parliamentarians from Latin America and the Caribbean. In Moscow, these representatives attended lectures on technology, urban mobility, economic development and other topics. From Brazil, government members from the PT, PCdoB and PSB were some of the guests, as well as representatives from the MDB and PSD.

The general secretary of the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB), Acilino José Ribeiro de Almeida, in addition to being in the delegation sent to Russia, was one of the speakers at the event. Questioned by People’s Gazette regarding the trip, the politician declared support for Russia and said that “Zelensky should be arrested as a war criminal”. However, Zelensky did not commit any war crimes. Russia was responsible for the constant bombing of innocent civilians and the abduction and deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children.

During the trip, Brazilian left-wing parties also met with representatives of the governments of Cuba and Venezuela. The event in Russia had an agenda in Moscow that lasted four days.

But, before inviting parliamentarians and party representatives to be present in Moscow, Lula had already made positive nods to Vladimir Putin’s country. Russia is one of the main suppliers of fertilizers to Brazil and this is allegedly why it gained Lula’s attention. But later the alignment seemed to become more ideological than pragmatic. According to analysts, the Brazilian left still tends to see Russia as the old communist Soviet Union. But Putin’s government has many more characteristics of 19th century autocratic and imperialist Russia.

Lula was one of the few presidents in the world who not only failed to condemn the Kremlin for the war, but publicly defended it. He made contradictory statements about Ukraine and even said that the invaded country was as much to blame for the conflict as Russia. The PT member also opposed statements condemning Putin in international treaties, minimizing the atrocities and war crimes committed by Moscow and boycotting diplomatic initiatives to blame Russia for the war.

Lula even sent his special affairs advisor, Celso Amorim, to visit Russia before even visiting Ukraine, the invaded country. In recent speeches, the Brazilian president even condemned the sanctions imposed by the United States and European countries on Russia as a strategy to try to stop the war. The PT member also used the same speech to condemn the embargoes on Cuba.

Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua do not leave Lula’s radar (and neither does the PT’s)

While trying to justify the rapprochement with China and Russia through trade agreements, Cuba and Venezuela do not leave Lula and PT’s radar due to the parties’ ideological similarity. The two Latin American nations were home to well-known dictators who are praised by the left: Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez — figures who were mentioned by Vladimir Putin in his speech during the Russia-Latin America International Parliamentary Conference. His successors today are Miguel Días-Canel and Nicolás Maduro, respectively.

At the end of May, Lula was heavily criticized, including by allies, for the statements he made about Venezuela. In an attempt to reactivate Unasur, the PT member received the Venezuelan dictator, Nicolás Maduro, with the honors of head of state in Brazil and even said that the country was “the victim of a narrative of anti-democracy and authoritarianism”. It is worth mentioning that Maduro is accused of crimes against human rights, of taking political prisoners and of manipulating elections in his country so as not to leave the position of president – which he has held for 10 years.

In June, the PT website even published an article corroborating Lula’s distorted speech. Originally published on the portal Brazil.247the text is titled “geopolitical expert dismantles narrative to demonize Venezuela”, the article tries to justify the serious problems facing Venezuela.

Even amid criticism, the president repeated Venezuela’s speeches with Cuba and Nicaragua, countries that are still led by dictators. In an interview with Radio Gaucha, in June, the PT member said that “the concept of democracy is relative”, when addressing Daniel Ortega’s dictatorship in Nicaragua. The politician has held the position of president since 2007 and is accused of persecuting political and religious opponents.

The Cuban autocracy was even visited by Lula this year. The PT member went to the country in the first half of September to participate in the G77+China Summit. During his stay on Cuban soil, he criticized the United States embargoes on the country. Lula repeated the same criticisms, a few days later, in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, which took place in New York.

All of these dictators were still exalted during the São Paulo Forum, which took place in Brasília, between June 29th and July 2nd. With the presence of left-wing leaders from all over the world, the event had meetings and lectures in which Che Guevara, Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez were praised.