The rescue of diplomacy – 04/13/2023 – Maria Hermínia Tavares

A country’s performance on the international scene always consists of a delicate mix of values ​​affirmation and the intention to promote its interests, both subject to the power resources that the nation has.

The values ​​define the clothes with which the country presents itself. National interests, however they may be understood at each historical cycle, require conduct that guarantees security against threats and expansion of economic opportunities –notably via trade, investment attraction, scientific or technical cooperation–, giving the country a voice in forums worldwide.

Values ​​and interests do not always harmonize. When they clash, the latter impose themselves. The effectiveness of both is still dependent on the availability of economic and military resources.

Peace, the primacy given to negotiated solutions to conflicts and respect for international law are inseparable values ​​of Brazil’s foreign action – as long-lasting as the Republic. As the decades passed, the defense of democracy joined them.

Also old are the bet on multilateralism and the capacity of the organizations that give it life, the universalism in diplomatic relations, the prudent autonomy in relation to the world’s powers and the diversification of economic partners.

Finally, since the times of the Baron of Rio Branco, chancellor from 1902 to 1912, the ambition of the country’s foreign policy has been to go beyond the regional sphere.

Over the course of the new government’s hundred days, the values, interests and projects of the good tradition of Brazilian diplomacy prevailed again, guiding the first movements of the so-called Lula 3 administration. But, today as in the past, international action requires a balanced dosage between those and the actual ability to influence decisions.

Foreign policy is well served with Itamaraty initiatives to rebuild broken bridges and with the president’s visits to our main partners.

The claim to make the country a mediator in the Ukrainian War, for which it does not have the minimum clout, is at odds with this.

Much worse were the attachments to the Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin, whose arrest has just been ordered by the ICC (International Criminal Court), where the complaint against Bolsonaro is being processed.

Neither the defense of peace and democracy, nor the expectation of economic gains –much less the legitimate ambition of international leadership– justify the initiative.

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