Brazil

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Re: Brazil

Post by blindpig » Mon Feb 27, 2023 3:14 pm

Consolidating Brazil’s Status as a Geopolitical Dwarf
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on FEBRUARY 24, 2023
Quantum Bird

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The so-called “Vigorous and Proud” Foreign Policy – slogan repeated ad nauseum by Celso Amorim during the years of the first Lula administration – never really convinced anyone with an IQ above room temperature (in degrees Celsius), but at least it allowed Brazil to gain some international prestige and a certain protagonism as one of the BRICS articulators. With Lula version 2023 this is over.

The pride and vigor seems to have completely disappeared from the scene, while the native foreign policy, still strongly influenced by Amorim and his group, shows increasingly clear and resounding signs of “activity” only in terms of vassalage to the USA/US.

The first achievement of this plot was to convert Brazil into the only BRICS country to condemn the Russian Special Operation in Ukraine. Lula could have expressed his superficial, counter-factual and anti-historical reading of the conflict directly to Putin, but chose to do so from the White House, alongside Biden, during his Disney-style US visit a few weeks ago.

It went badly in the Global South, which has consistently rejected any attempt to frame Russia as the aggressor party in the conflict – correctly, by the way.

Next, we had to tolerate the interview with Mauro Vieira, the current “Chancellor”, in the yellow pages of that notorious little national magazine of immaculate coup tradition. He declared that Brazil had come off the wall. In fact, it jumped on the lap of the USA, and immediately courted the Nazi regime in Kiev. We all saw the pictures of Vieira next to Dmytro Kuleba, the neo-Nazi Ukrainian chancellor.

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Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

Now get ready for the proverbial icing on the cake: Brazil has just voted at the UN condemning Russia for the Special Military Operation. Here is the score:

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The astute reader will not be impressed by the number of green squares. Between the Yellows (abstention) and Reds (against) we have all the countries that are engaged in internecine struggles to conquer, defend and extend their sovereignty. The Yellows and Reds also account for the absolute majority of the world’s population. The Greens (for) gather the empire’s overwhelmed vassals, the countries occupied or “springed” by the USA, and finally, the pseudo-democracies corrupted by the hegemon’s fiat money. It was in this unpleasant cacophony that Itamaraty, under Lula and Vieira, placed Brazil. I leave it to the reader to choose the appropriate category among the options listed.

The Brazilian foreign policy makers perform these maneuvers while pretending to pose as potential mediators in the conflict. Do these policymakers not understand that they have just definitively deprived themselves of the necessary neutrality that such a position requires? Or do they believe that by proceeding in this way they would be qualifying themselves to plead for a position as a permanent member of the UN Security Council? – if this is the case, look me up, I have a bridge to sell.

Be that as it may, the Russian Special Operation in Ukraine will proceed inexorably, until the collective West is ready to grant Russia the collective security conditions formulated and delivered into Biden’s hands in Geneva in the summer of 2021. And these circumstances leave in stark evidence the myopia and amateurism of Brazilian foreign policy, whose formulators, at best, are trying to use the conflict in the former Ukraine as a springboard for irresponsible and reputation-damaging protagonism.

Do Lula and Vieira not realize that their erratic foreign policy could consolidate Brazil as the geopolitical dwarf it has become since the coup against Dilma Rousseff and Operation Lava-Jato, followed by the Bolsonaro government, threw the country into limbo in international relations?

Another ghost that prowls Brazil’s geopolitical future has to do with a possible presidency of the BRICS Bank, the NDB, by Dilma Rousseff. Would we be about to witness Brazil’s conversion into a kind of pro-hegemon Trojan Horse of continental proportions, working in the heart of the BRICS?

I sincerely hope not.

Translation by Internationalist 360°

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2023/02/ ... cal-dwarf/

Is Lula's ass-kissing DC payback for not being 'couped'? But then what are the excuses from the other pink tide players?

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Looking back at Bolsonarismo and its project of cultural and national destruction
During the riots in Brasília on January 8, Bolsonaristas caused irreparable damage to the country’s cultural patrimony, destroying art that represents everything they are against

February 26, 2023 by Tings Chak

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Construir A Esperança, Resgatar A Alegria (“Build Hope, Recover Happiness”) (2022), Nathalia Ferreira Guimaraes

At the start of this year, days after the inauguration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as the Brazilian president, an event shook the nation. On the January 8, thousands of supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the halls of power in the country’s capital, Brasilia. They were dressed in yellow and green, the colors of the country’s flag and the national football team’s official shirt, itself a disputed symbol as it was appropriated by the far-right “Bolsonaristas” in recent years. The protesters invaded the “Three Powers” – Planalto Presidential Palace, National Congress, and Federal Supreme Court. Met with little resistance from the military police, the Bolsonaristas broke through the barricades and went on a destructive spree. Among the wreckage were 700 pieces of artwork, decorations, and furniture that were vandalized or destroyed. The invaders ransacked the buildings, which themselves are works of art, designed in the 1950s by one of Brazil’s most famous architects and communists, Oscar Niemeyer (1907-2012). These buildings in the heart of the new political center of the country were monuments to a national project, of a vision for a modern Brazil.

But looking back on the day, what were the Bolsonaristas hoping to create from the destruction? And reflecting on the last four years, what has been the project of Bolsonarismo? There were three pieces of artwork found among the ruins that give some insight into these questions, and the possibilities that Lula’s return holds.

The protagonists of history and art.

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As Mulatas (“The Mulatto Women”) (1962), Emiliano Di Cavalcanti (reproduced from Twitter)
The centerpiece of the presidential palace’s main hall is As Mulatas (“The Mulatto Woman”), painted in 1962 by the great modern artist, Emiliano Di Cavalcanti (1897-1976). Though much of the reporting has focused on its monetary value, estimated at US$1.5 to 3.8 million, it is impossible to quantify cultural loss.

Di Cavalcanti saw artmaking as an act of political participation, and his work represented the underrepresented sides and contradictions of the Brazilian reality. As a key organizer of São Paulo’s Modern Art Week in 1922 that elevated Brazilian culture and modernity onto the international stage, he joined the Communist Party of Brazil in 1928, and was jailed more than once for his political affiliation.

Reconciling the language of the European avant-garde with the Brazilian context, Di Cavalcanti’s work was focused on the national question, but with his artistic eye turned to the workers, people of the favelas, women, and black people as the protagonists. As its title suggests, As Mulatas features women of mixed ancestry. It asks by whom and for whom is Brazil built, in a country where 56.1% of its 212 million inhabitants self-identify as being black or of mixed ancestry, and who have been historically denied access to political power and cultural representation. This painting was slashed seven times by Bolsonaro-supporters in the invasion.

In September 2022, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and several Brazilian partners, including the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST), launched the visual art exhibition, 200 years of an interrupted nation | Art as a form of denunciation and resistance. 28 artworks were created as a reflection on the dual anniversaries of 200 years of Brazilian independence and the centenary of the Modern Art Week, which, “despite its limits,” writes the organizers, “tried to represent the true protagonists of a nation that insisted on being born: The Brazilian people, historically marginalized and invisibilized.” Bolsonarismo represents a continuation of this “interrupted nation,” and its insistence on cultural destruction is not an accident, but epitomizes its political project.

Two great fires.

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Galhos e Sombras (“Branches and Shadows”) by Frans Krajcberg (reproduced from Twitter)
I moved to Brazil in May 2018, shortly before the election of Bolsonaro. A lawfare coup had already been underway for at least two years, which led to the impeachment of Workers’ Party (PT) president Dilma Rousseff in 2016 and the imprisonment in April 2018 of then ex-president Lula for 580 days on unfounded corruption charges.

My first year in Brazil was bookended by two great fires. The first was the tragic fire of the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, where most of the 20 million artifacts were destroyed. In response to this fire, Bolsonaro said, “It already caught on fire, what do you want me to do?” When asked about the museum’s chronic underfunding that led to this fire, Bolsonaro responded with mockery, showing his outright disdain for the country’s cultural heritage and the role of art and culture. Very symbolically, he made it one of his first tasks to dissolve the Ministry of Culture upon assuming his presidency. Brazil’s far right, galvanized around Bolsonaro, is a project of violent historical erasure and cultural destruction, in a physical and subjective sense.

The second fire. On Monday, August 19, 2019, I walked out of the office to be met with the ominously and prematurely blackened skies of São Paulo. It was only 3:30pm, hours before nightfall. Winds had carried smoke from the Amazonian wildfires, 2,700-kilometers away. Bolsonaro had encouraged the illegal burning, serving the interests of agrobusiness and his financiers, at the expense of the planet, the people, and world heritage. During Bolsonaro’s presidency, over 33,000 km2 of the Amazon, the lungs of the planet, was destroyed – equivalent to the size of Taiwan island – and deforestation rates increased by 59.5%, outdoing any other presidency since satellite measurements began in 1988.

It may be a cruel irony that one of the sculptures vandalized in the Brasilia invasion was Galhos e Sombras (“Branches and Shadows”) by Frans Krajcberg (1921-2017), a Polish-born Jewish artist who immigrated to Brazil after most of his family had been killed in the Holocaust. A defender of the Amazon and as an act of protest, Krajcberg made sculptures using burnt wood from illegal forest fires. He went to the Amazon forest several times, gathering materials for his work while bearing witness to these environmental crimes. Krajcberg’s own family fell victim to Nazi fascism, and decades later, his work and the subject of his work – the Amazon – are today’s victims of Bolsonarismo. History may repeat itself, first as a tragedy, as Marx said, but the second time remains a tragedy still.

At the COP27 in Egypt, still weeks before he officially reassumed his presidential post, Lula made a moving speech, committing to net-zero deforestation in the Amazon until 2030. “Brazil is back,” the audience chanted. If Krajcberg was still alive, we know on which side he would stand, and for which project for the country he would support.

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O Brasil toma posse de si mesmo (“Brazil takes power over itself”), 2022, Jorge Silveira (reproduced from Twitter)

Lula arrived at the Planalto Palace to receive his green-and-yellow presidential sash, which was supposed to be handed over by Bolsonaro, who instead was found strolling in the suburbs of Orlando. Lula arrived hand-in-hand with the Brazilian people – indigenous, black, and poor people, women and children from the periphery, and people with disabilities. Photographed, illustrated, and circulated countless times since, this symbolic act has already become an iconic image. Like Di Cavalcanti’s paintings, this political act reinserts the people – the workers, poor, and dispossessed – as the protagonists of history and politics. This political act is also a battle of ideas, a battle over culture, emotions, and the image.

Days later, Bolsonaristas, and their “project of national destruction” as Lula had called it, invaded that same palace. Ironically, one of the works vandalized and left littered on the ground was Bandeira do Brasil, a painting by Jorge Eduardo (1936–) of the national flag – the very symbol that Bolsonaro supporters had appropriated and distorted for their ultra-right cause. But what message did they want to say in this act? To whom does this symbol belong?

On inauguration day, a fifty-meter Brazilian flag was carried by hundreds of people as Lula proclaimed, “Our message to Brazil is one of hope and reconstruction.” What the Bolsonaristas tore down during the invasion, and over the last five years, is being raised and reclaimed by the people. “To create,” as Di Cavalcanti said nearly a century ago, “is above all to give ideal substance to what exists.” And the people will continue to create from the embers of the great fires, and to give substance to new national project in Brazil’s own image.

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Top: Bandeira do Brasil (“Brazilian Flag”) (1995), Jorge Eduardo (reproduced from Twitter)

Bottom: 50-meter Brazilian flag unfurled at Lula’s presidential inauguration (reproduced from Twitter)

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/02/26/ ... struction/
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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Re: Brazil

Post by blindpig » Wed Mar 01, 2023 2:26 pm

Brazilian Supreme Court to judge soldiers for coup attack

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Hundreds of supporters of Jair Bolsonaro stormed the Government Palace in the Brazilian capital. | Photo: EFE
Published 28 February 2023

Magistrate Alexandre de Moares authorized the Federal Police to initiate an investigation for "possible crimes" committed by the military.

The judge of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil (STF), Alexandre de Moares, decided on Monday that the highest court of the South American country will try the civilians and soldiers who were involved in the coup attack on January 8.

In his decision, the magistrate highlighted the "competence" of the STF for the case "without distinguishing between civilians and the military" and authorized the Federal Police to initiate an investigation for "possible crimes" committed by the military.

Alexandre de Moraes justified his ruling in the Anti-Terrorism Statute, which stipulates that in acts that attempt against democracy, Justice "is not associated with the military function", which has its own jurisprudence.


The Federal Police had asked the STF for authorization to investigate the alleged participation of members of the Armed Forces and the Military Police in the crime of "violent abolition of the democratic rule of law and coup d'état."

In Monday's decision, magistrate Alexandre de Moraes extended the investigations for the coup acts by sixty days and those that are advancing on the "anti-democratic digital militias" that would have promoted the coup actions through social networks by ninety days.


The investigations undertaken by the police force are part of the process on the coup attack promoted by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro on January 8, which left almost 2,000 detainees.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/brasil-c ... -0004.html

Google Translator

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Brazilian Top Court to Try Soldiers Involved in Attempted Coup

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Security forces members watching the Bolsonarista attack on public buildings in Brasilia, Jan. 8, 2023. | Photo: Twitter/ @PlantaoBrasilOF
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Published 28 February 2023 (21 hours 17 minutes ago)

Army Commander Gen. Paiva agrees with Judge De Moraes' decision to keep investigating possible crimes committed by the military in the field of civil justice.

On Monday, Judge Alexandre de Moraes decided that the Federal Supreme Court (STF) will try the military and police involved in the attempted coup that occurred on January 8.

He also authorized the Federal Police to open investigations into possible crimes committed by members of the Armed Forces and military police during the assault on the headquarters of the three branches in Brasilia, where supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2023) tried to prevent Lula da Silva from assume the Presidency.

In justifying his decision, De Moraes clearly specified that the Federal Supreme Court and the Federal Police do have powers to judge the military and police involved in the latest attempt to destabilize Brazilian democracy.

In this regard, he pointed out that the "Military Justice" judges crimes that affect the very dignity of the Armed Forces as an institution but does not protect "the military person." Therefore, the Supreme Court will judge the crimes committed by the military.


Previously, the Federal Police had requested the Supreme Court to evaluate and recognize its investigative jurisdiction. The decision made by De Moraes was awaited with expectation by Brazilian public opinion, which had turned to show the notorious participation of the military in anti-democratic Bolsonarist movements.

During the investigations of the "Operation Against the Homeland" case, the Federal Police detected that members of the Army and the presidential guard had levels of participation in the coup attempt.

On Tuesday morning, the Brazilian media reported that Army Commander Gen. Tomas Paiva agrees with Judge De Moraes' decision to keep investigating possible crimes committed by the military in the field of civil justice.

Previously, this Brazilian general had already pointed out that the military involved in vandalism in Brazilia committed civil crimes and, therefore, must respond as civilians.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Bra ... -0007.html

Brazil Frees Over 100 Prisoners for Jan 8 Coup Attacks

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On January 8, supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro invaded the three branches of government in Brasilia. Feb. 28, 2023. | Photo: Twitter/@europeanleft

Published 28 February 2023 (13 hours 35 minutes ago)

The decision concerns 102 people who will be able to return to their hometowns subject to certain conditions.


On Tuesday, Brazil's Federal Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered the provisional release of more than 100 people who had been detained following the January 8 coup attacks in Brasília against the three branches of government.

The decision concerns 102 people who will be able to return to their hometowns with some conditions upon their release with charges.

They will have to wear electronic anklets to be monitored by the authorities, have their gun permits suspended, will not be allowed to use social networks and are prevented from communicating with other suspects under investigation. They will also have to appear in court weekly.

This Monday, Alexandre de Moraes decided that the highest Brazilian court will judge the civilians and military involved in the coup attempt. These processes were being investigated until now by the military justice system.


Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes today released 137 prisoners arrested for coup acts. He also decided that military and police officers involved in the actions of January 8 should be tried by the Civil, not the Military, Courts.

According to the official, in the face of crimes such as the abolition of the democratic rule of law, a coup d'état or terrorist acts, Justice is not associated with the military function. Thus, the Supreme Court is competent whether they are perpetrated by civilians or by the military.

Alexandre de Moraes extended for sixty days the investigations on the coup acts and ninety days the investigations on the "anti-democratic digital militias" that would have promoted the coup actions through social networks.

Last January 8, supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro carried out a coup attempt by invading the three branches of government in Brasília. Nearly 2 000 people were arrested, some 800 are still under arrest. They are accused of terrorism, coup d'état and violent abolition of the rule of law.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Bra ... -0011.html

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Brazil Allows 2 Ships from Iran to Dock Despite US Pressure
FEBRUARY 28, 2023

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The Iranian ship Iris Makran sails off the coast of Rio de Janeiro as a Brazilian flag flies on Copacabana beach, February 27, 2023. Photo: Reuters.

Two Iranian ships docked in Rio de Janeiro after Lula da Silva’s administration gave them the green light despite US pressure to ban them from the port.

The warships Makran and Dena arrived on Sunday morning, reported the Rio de Janeiro port authority in a statement.

Britain’s Reuters news agency reported earlier this month that Brazil had caved to US pressure and rejected Iran’s request for the ships to dock in Rio at the end of January, ahead of the Brazilian president’s trip to Washington to meet with his counterpart Joe Biden.

However, with Lula’s voyage over, the ships received approval from the Brazilian Navy to call at Rio between February 26 and March 4, according to a February 23 notice in Brazil’s official gazette.

The US embassy in Brasilia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The presence of Iranian warships off the coast of Brazil continues to irritate the United States as it seeks to build closer ties with the Lula administration, which took office on January 1.

In a press conference on February 15, US Ambassador Elizabeth Bagley urged Brazil not to allow Iranian ships to dock.

Diplomacy with Iran was one of the highlights of Lula’s attempts to bolster Brasilia’s international standing during his previous presidential terms, and he even traveled to Tehran to meet then-President Mahmud Ahmadinejad in 2010.

The 86th Flotilla of the Iranian Army Naval Force, consisting of the warships Dena and Makran, began its mission in late September 2022 for a historic circumnavigation of the world, aimed at demonstrating the growing military power and maritime reach of the Islamic Republic.

The Iris Makran, a military logistics ship, is the largest ship in the Iranian fleet, while the Iris Dena is a domestically-built destroyer that entered service in 2021.

After establishing three maritime commands in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans, respectively, Iran’s Navy seeks to expand its activity and presence in international waters in order to ensure the security of shipping lanes.

Iran has assured that this development follows the nation’s defensive doctrine and does not represent a threat to other countries.

https://orinocotribune.com/brazil-allow ... -pressure/
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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Re: Brazil

Post by blindpig » Wed Mar 15, 2023 2:28 pm

Lula Is Meddling in Nicaragua at Biden’s Behest
MARCH 14, 2023

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Joe Biden end Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Photo: Ricardo Stuckert.

By Andrew Korybko – Mar 8, 2023

As “politically inconvenient” as it may be for some to admit, whether they’re multipolar supporters outside of Brazil or members of the PT, it’s arguably the case that Lula is meddling in Nicaragua nowadays at Biden’s behest shortly after jointly condemning Russia alongside his US counterpart in DC. These two unfriendly developments literally concern countries on opposite sides of the planet, but they’re inextricably connected in the sense that they confirm Lula’s recalibrated worldview.

The US’ Hybrid War On Nicaragua
The US’ Hybrid War on Nicaragua that began in 2018 as punishment for President Daniel Ortega’s efforts to strengthen his Central American state’s sovereignty is entering a new phase after Brazilian President Lula da Silva just decided to participate in this regime change campaign. That newly re-elected and now three-time leader authorized his Ambassador to the UN Tovar da Silva Nunes to condemn Nicaragua before that global body and offer to host those of its people who’ve been stripped of their citizenship.

Anadolu Agency reported that the Brazilian envoy told the international community the following:

“The Brazilian government follows events in Nicaragua with utmost attention and is concerned with the reports of serious human rights violations and restrictions on democratic space in that country, in particular summary executions, arbitrary detentions and torture of political dissidents.

Brazil stands ready to explore ways in which this situation can be constructively addressed in dialogue with the government of Nicaragua and all relevant actors.

The Brazilian government also receives with extreme concern the decision of Nicaraguan authorities to determine the loss of nationality of more than 300 Nicaraguan citizens.

By reaffirming its humanitarian commitment to the protection of stateless persons and the reduction of statelessness, the Brazilian government makes itself available to welcome the people affected by this decision under the special statute provided for in the Brazilian migration law.”

This disturbing declaration will now be analyzed so that they reader can understand its full significance.

Ortega blamed the US for conspiring to overthrow his democratically elected government all the way back at the beginning of this off-and-on unrest over the past four and a half years. According to him, drug traffickers, foreign agents, and “NGO” intelligence fronts were operationalized to that end in an effort to violently oust him from office. After that part of their plot failed, the conspirators then tried to manipulate voters against him ahead of the November 2021 elections, yet that ultimately failed as well.

The Russian-Nicaraguan strategic partnership
Since the start of this Hybrid War up until the present, Nicaragua has comprehensively expanded its relations with Russia, even opening up an honorary consulate in Crimea in November 2020 in what represented the first foreign diplomatic mission in that region since its reunification with Russia. This was to be expected in hindsight since Ortega already recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia around one month after Russia secured their independence in the US-provoked Georgian War in August 2008.

Upon Russia being forced into commencing its special operation, Nicaragua abstained from the first UN Resolution against it but then vetoed the following two in October and last month as well as the one last April calling to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council. Ortega was also one of the first leaders to support his Russian counterpart’s recognition of the Donbass Republics’ independence prior to the start of that aforementioned ongoing operation.

There’s much more to their ties than just the diplomatic dimension, however, since the military one is even more important. Russia and Nicaragua very closely cooperate in this sphere, and that Central American state also participated in last year’s Vostok 2022 drills in its partner’s Far Eastern region. The US’ Senior Director for the Western Hemisphere at the National Security Council said last September that Russia’s military ties with Nicaragua worry him more than its ones with Cuba or even Venezuela.

On the humanitarian front, Russia operates a land-based satellite station in Nicaragua to assist with disaster responses and shipped over 400 tons of flour to it in order to alleviate the consequences of the Western-provoked global food crisis. As for the economic aspect of their ties, that Central American state is considering participating in its partner’s Mir payment system and launching a maritime trade corridor to its Far Eastern region. All told, these two are true and trusted strategic partners.

Brazilian meddling in Nicaragua’s domestic affairs
Having explained the Hybrid War context of the latest Nicaraguan Crisis and the role that this Central American state’s strategic partnership with Russia has played in ensuring its stability during these tough times, the reader can now better understand the seriousness of Brazil’s meddling in its affairs. Lula’s UN envoy offered for his country to host those over 300 Nicaraguans who were stripped of their citizenship and deported to the US after being found guilty of betraying their homeland.

Under the false pretext of “humanitarian commitments”, Brazil is volunteering to host these US-backed regime change traitors, who will in all likelihood continue trying to overthrow their democratically elected government with a wink and a nod from Lula himself. His policy can therefore objectively be described as “humanitarian imperialism” since it’s the exploitation of manipulated “humanitarian” optics for imperialistic ends, in this case helping the US illegally remove Ortega from office.

Observers should remember that Lula just met with Biden a month ago in DC, during which time they issued a joint statement that included a sharp condemnation of Russia. This was followed by the Brazilian leader being endorsed by Color Revolution mastermind George Soros and then ordering his diplomats to vote against Russia during the latest UN Resolution that Nicaragua vetoed, after which he spoke to Zelensky and discussed the latter’s “peace formula”, which includes prosecuting Russia.

“Lula’s Recalibrated Multipolar Vision Makes Him Amenable To The US’ Grand Strategic Interests”, especially since he shares the ruling US Democrats’ liberal–globalist worldview to a large extent nowadays, in particular its domestic dimension. Despite politically aligning with the US against Russia in the most geostrategically significant conflict since World War II, most of his Workers’ Party (PT) base has been brainwashed by a literal disinformation operation into thinking that he’s “playing 5D chess”.

Analyzing Lula’s ideological motivations for doing Biden’s bidding
Whether it’s against Russia or now against Nicaragua too, Lula is clearly doing Biden’s bidding in the New Cold War, though he’s admittedly holding back a bit by not going as all-out as the US wants. This explains why he’s not arming Kiev, sanctioning Russia, and why he didn’t order his diplomats to sign a recent joint declaration condemning Nicaragua. None of this is being done under pressure or as part of a so-called “master plan”, but is simply due to Lula’s recalibrated worldview since his imprisonment.

The way he seems to see everything is that the world is truly divided between democracies and dictatorships exactly as the US has claimed in its information warfare campaign throughout the course of the New Cold War. With that in mind, it’s consistent with this assessment – irrespective of whether or not anyone agrees with it since it’s Lula’s sovereign right as the head of state to conclude and subsequently act upon – to condemn both Russia and Nicaragua while also claiming to want to mediate.

He either isn’t sincere with the second-mentioned goal or is so ideologically divorced from objective reality as to think that his respective condemnations don’t disqualify him from mediating either crisis, not to mention volunteering to host US-backed regime change traitors who were deported by Managua. In any case, continuing to cling to this superficially “noble” goal despite the policies that he promulgated disqualifying him from this can be spun to defend himself from accusations of colluding with the US.

Amidst the impending trifurcation of International Relations between the US-led West’s Golden Billion, the Sino-Russo Entente, and the Global South, Lula is actively positioning Brazil to align itself much closer with the US’ bloc than the other two, including the third one of which it’s a part. Instead of remaining neutral towards NATO’s proxy war on Russia like his fellow BRICs members have and not meddling in Nicaragua, he condemned those two multipolar partners and thus sent a clear signal.

Concluding thoughts
As “politically inconvenient” as it may be for some to admit, whether they’re multipolar supporters outside of Brazil or members of the PT, it’s arguably the case that Lula is meddling in Nicaragua nowadays at Biden’s behest shortly after jointly condemning Russia alongside his US counterpart in DC. These two unfriendly developments literally concern countries on opposite sides of the planet, but they’re inextricably connected in the sense that they confirm Lula’s recalibrated worldview.

His notion of multipolarity isn’t anywhere near the same as Russia’s or Nicaragua’s. Just like his buddy Biden, Lula is convinced that the New Cold War is between democracies and dictatorships instead of being about whether International Relations will return to unipolarity or become multipolar. At the same time, he’s not going as all-out against Russia as the US wants by still declining to arm Kiev or sanction Moscow, but his hosting of anti-Nicaraguan regime change agents represents an escalation.

The difference in his approaches against Russia and Nicaragua is that his perception managers would have difficulty spinning his arming of Kiev and/or sanctioning of Moscow in any way that speciously upholds his allegedly “independent” foreign policy while no such concerns exist with Managua. The first set of policies would immediately generate global attention and thus completely discredit him in the Global South, while the second is barely discussed since fellow faux leftists in the region support it.

On that last point and wrapping up the present analysis, it’s now clear that the latest so-called “Pink Tide” isn’t what it seems. These “New Leftists” who recently swept to power, which includes Lula during his third term, are really liberal-globalist in their outlook and not multipolar like former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was or Ortega still is. Lula is now leading the pack and showing that even self-declared “leftists” in modern-day Latin America can end up being the US’ regional Hybrid War proxies.

https://orinocotribune.com/lula-is-medd ... ns-behest/

Debunking the #Lulaliberals’ Lies for Covering Up His Condemnation of Russia
FEBRUARY 13, 2023

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President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva,. File photo.

By Andrew Korybko – Feb 11, 2023

The Lula Liberals are basically a Brazilian knockoff of QAnon, but for left-wing folks instead of right-wing ones like Trump’s supporters are. Just like that US movement weaponized conspiracy theories to cover up for every time that he went against his base’s policy expectations so that they don’t revolt against him, so too is that Brazilian one doing the same to cover up for Lula disappointing his leftist-multipolar base by condemning Russia so that they don’t revolt against him either.

“The Workers’ Party Is Infiltrated By Pro-US Liberal-Globalists”, which is proven on a daily basis by the way in which its supporters defend Lula’s condemnation of Russia. He earlier compared its special operation in Ukraine to the US’ Hybrid War on Venezuela, and now he put out a statement with Biden where “They deplored the violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine by Russia and the annexation of parts of its territory as flagrant violations of international law and called for a just and durable peace.”

These fierce condemnations betray the spirit of the Russian-Brazilian Strategic Partnership and serve as evidence that Lula cut a deal with the US to be released from prison as was explained in detail here. It would be redundant to rehash those arguments in the present piece, hence why intrepid readers should review that analysis if they’re interested in learning more. The point in bringing it up is to emphasize that the foreign policy of his third term aligns much more with US interests than his prior two’s.

Lula isn’t playing “5D chess” against the US nor does he have a so-called “master plan” for secretly going against it. Simply put, he concluded – whether rightly or wrongly and irrespective of whether one supports him or not – that it’s in Brazil’s best interests at this point in time to partially go along with the US’ anti-Russian policies. Lula won’t go as far as dispatching arms to Kiev, whether directly or indirectly via Germany, but he also won’t shy away from publicly condemning Russia either.

The “Lula Liberals”, which refers to the liberal-globalist faction that’s hijacked his Workers’ Party and exerts disproportionate influence over how his supporters frame his third term’s foreign policy, have initiated a disinformation campaign designed to cover up his condemnations of Russia. They rightly expect that its traditional leftist-multipolar cadre would revolt against him so explicitly betraying the spirit of their strategic partnership just to please the US, hence why they’re obfuscating reality.

To that end, the Lula Liberals have introduced a collection of lies into the information ecosystem aimed at manipulating the Workers’ Party’s base into actually praising his condemnations of Russia, or at the very least explaining them away instead of revolting against this unexpected foreign policy shift that contradicts their multipolar principles. They primarily center on the earlier mentioned “5D chess” and “master plan” explanations, which are bonafide conspiracy theories, but also include other aspects too.

For instance, it was common for them to gaslight that his comparison of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine to the US’ Hybrid War on Venezuela wasn’t a condemnation of Moscow but of Washington. Now that he unambiguously condemned Russia in his joint statement with Biden, however, they claim that he had no choice but to agree to that wording. That’s a lie though since none of his BRICS peers condemned Russia in their joint statements with Biden or after their calls with him like Lula just did.

Others, meanwhile, claim that his condemnations align with China’s official stance towards the Ukrainian Conflict. That’s not true since no Chinese official – including President Xi – has condemned Russia like Lula already did on two occasions. Furthermore, while their reaffirmation of China’s support for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the UN Charter has been interpreted by both sides as supporting their positions, it definitely isn’t an unambiguous condemnation like Lula’s two thus far.

Another disinformation narrative that’s rapidly emerging in light of his joint anti-Russian statement with Biden is to claim that Lula was simply implementing the foreign policy principles stipulated in the Article 4 of the Brazilian Constitution. That’s another manipulation of the truth since Bolsonaro outright refused to condemn Russia, yet neither Lula nor anyone in his Workers’ Party demanded that he be investigated for supposedly violating his constitutional obligations to practice foreign policy in a certain way.

To summarize the Lula Liberals’ top three lies for covering up his condemnation of Russia, they: 1) ridiculously deny him the agency to have requested a different wording in their joint statement if he truly disagreed with it like they claim; 2) counterfactually compare his unprecedented condemnation of Russia to China’s official neutral stance towards the Ukrainian Conflict; and 3) falsely claim that he had no choice if he wanted to adhere to the foreign policy principles stipulated in the Brazilian Constitution.

These aforementioned lies are debunked by the following three truths: 1) no BRICS leader condemned Russia in their joint statements with Biden after meeting or calling him; 2) no Chinese representative, including President Xi, has ever condemned Russia’s special operation like Lula has already done twice; and 3) the Workers’ Party didn’t ever demand that Bolsonaro be investigated for refusing to condemn Russia, which proves that his decision didn’t violate the Brazilian Constitution.

After having their lies debunked, some among the minority of Lula Liberals who aren’t triggered into toxic ad hominem trolling will concede that his condemnations of Russia were disappointing but claim that they averted a US coup against him. This is yet another lie since it implies that the US has already overthrown other leaders who refused to condemn Russia, yet not a single one of those dozens of leaders from states much smaller and weaker than Brazil have been overthrown as punishment for that.

The Lula Liberals are basically a Brazilian knockoff of QAnon, but for left-wing folks instead of right-wing ones like Trump’s supporters are. Just like that US movement weaponized conspiracy theories to cover up for every time that he went against his base’s policy expectations so that they don’t revolt against him, so too is that Brazilian one doing the same to cover up for Lula disappointing his leftist-multipolar base by condemning Russia so that they don’t revolt against him either.

Understood in this way, it can therefore be concluded that the Lula Liberals are waging a form of Hybrid Warfare on Brazil, but this time in support of that leader instead of against him like the US and their opponents previously did when it wanted to discredit the Workers’ Party and jail him. It’s thus ironic that those who claim to support him are nowadays the ones employing such weaponized perception management methods, but this just shows how deeply liberal-globalists have infiltrated that party.

https://orinocotribune.com/debunking-th ... of-russia/
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Re: Brazil

Post by blindpig » Thu Mar 23, 2023 1:47 pm

Lula Reactivates ‘More Doctors’ Health Program in Brazil (+Venezuela Relations)
MARCH 21, 2023

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Doctors holding small Cuban and Brazilian flags. Photo: CubaNet/File photo.

In Brazil, president Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva reactivated the “More Doctors” program, a project promoted in 2013 under the administration of Dilma Rousseff. The government initiative aims to increase the number of doctors in small cities in the interior of the country.

On Monday, March 20, from the Planalto Palace, Brazil’s head of state announced additional resources for the “More Doctors” program, which he said had been “extraordinarily successful” in the past, providing essential healthcare services for favela residents, those living in remote Amazonian municipalities, and residents of small and medium-sized cities in the interior of the South American country.

“More Doctors,” in its beginnings, included physicians from various countries, including 8,500 doctors from Cuba. When right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro won the presidential election in late 2018, he sabotaged the agreement by announcing that he would impose individual contracts on foreign participants in the program and require doctors to take exams and validate their credentials domestically, an affront to the program’s participants. As a result, the “More Doctors” program was cancelled.

The social health program promoted in 2013 became responsible for 100 percent of primary care in 1,039 municipalities, hired more than 18,000 professionals, and benefited over 63 million Brazilians.

Now, the Ministry of Health promises to add to the program other healthcare specialists such as dentists, nurses, and social workers.


Venezuela–Brazil relations improving
Meanwhile, a new stage of cooperative relations between Venezuela and Brazil is advancing steadily, according to Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil.

On his social media accounts, Gil wrote this Tuesday that he had a telephone conversation with his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Viera, with whom he discussed the normalization of bilateral relations.

“Excellent conversation with Minister Mauro Vieira, Foreign Minister of Brazil, this new stage of relations is progressing steadily, wrote the Venezuelan foreign minister.

https://orinocotribune.com/lula-reactiv ... relations/

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BRAZIL SAYS IT RESPECTS THE DECISIONS OF THE ICC IN THE PUTIN CASE
22 Mar 2023 , 1:50 p.m.

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Lula da Silva adheres to Joe Biden's agenda in this new political stage (Photo: EFE)

There are increasing signs of Lula da Silva's political alignment with US foreign policy interests. Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said during an interview that "Brazil is part of the ICC, the International Criminal Court, which we respect and follow," when asked about the arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin issued by that body.

Vieira immediately stated that "any trip, any presence of [President Putin] in a country that is a member of the International Criminal Court can bring complications, I have no doubt."

According to the analysis of the researcher Andrew Korybko , this statement by the Brazilian government is not surprising since "it is totally in line with the new vision of the world of the Brazilian president." The curious thing is that he is on the side of those who, through lawfare , momentarily removed him from the political career on another occasion. This makes us think that his release from prison, and subsequent relaunch, depends on this decision, according to the analyst.

Other signs of Lula's turn that Korybko points out:

He condemned Russia's military special operation in Ukraine in a joint statement with Biden during his trip to Washington, D.C.
He ordered his diplomats to vote for a fiercely anti-Russian UN resolution calling on Moscow to immediately withdraw from all territory Kiev claims as its own, including Crimea.
He communicated by telephone with Ukrainian President Zelensky to discuss the so-called "peace formula", which includes the creation of a "special court" to try Russians.
His deputy representative to the UN expressed his annoyance that Moscow was discussing Russophobia at a Security Council meeting devoted exclusively to this issue.
If George Soros so enthusiastically endorsed Lula, this twist is to be expected, according to Korybko: "Lula's election at the end of last year was crucial...Brazil is on the front line of the conflict between open and closed societies... [ Lula] will need strong international support," Soros said at the Munich Security Conference last month.

https://misionverdad.com/brasil-dice-re ... caso-putin

Good Lula!/Bad Lula!....

I suppose this explains why there was no coup...Of course Brazil has it's own agenda and is primarily concerned with internal issues. And we should not put too much hope in these 'Pink Tides' anyway, pink ain't Red. It remains to be seen how much Petro is willing to defy the Hegemon.

I have little doubt that Lula would not survive a coup physically and I'm sure he understood this too and was unwilling to risk a civil war which he would probably lose with great harm done to the Brazilian people. I just hope he realizes that the US will fuck him over anyway.
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Re: Brazil

Post by blindpig » Mon Apr 03, 2023 1:53 pm

They ask the Brazilian military to disassociate themselves from political parties

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The military who choose to pursue a political career may do so without harming the image of the Armed Forces or generating conflicts of interest | Photo: EFE
Published 3 April 2023

The order is based on the Proposed Amendment to the Constitution to prohibit the return to active duty of military personnel who stand for election.

The Brazilian Armed Forces released a statement on Sunday directing its members to disassociate themselves from political parties to effectively enforce the Federal Constitution, military sources reported.

The armed institution, made up of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, declared that the orientation arose as part of an articulation of the Ministry of Defense based on the Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (PEC) to prohibit the return to active service of soldiers running for election.

The text reiterates that the objective is to alert and enforce the Federal Constitution. "Such a situation (of partisan affiliation) contradicts current regulations and is subject to disciplinary sanction," the Navy said.


This weapon adopted the measure since March 8 in the Orders and News Bulletin, a restricted document for internal use. The document stressed the commitment to independence and exemption from the personal elections of its military, as long as they comply with current legislation.

According to Professor Fabio Tavares Sobreira “The military must be neutral and impartial with respect to the country's political issues. However, there is a loophole in the Constitution regarding the possibility of the military contesting elections and returning to the ranks after the end of the mandate, ”he argued.

Statistical data revealed that in the 2022 elections, at least 299 soldiers, active and reserve, presented themselves for governor, senator, federal and state deputy positions.

Among the active soldiers who assumed political functions in the government of former President Jair Bolsonaro, there are the cases of Eduardo Pazuello (Ministry of Health), Luiz Eduardo Ramos (Government Secretariat), Walter Braga Netto (Civil House) and Flávio Rocha (Secretary of Strategic Affairs).

Pazuello was investigated by the Army for his participation in a political act in 2021. The former Minister of Health responded on suspicion of violating the norm that prevents the participation of soldiers in events of a partisan nature without authorization from the Army Command. However, he was acquitted.

Experts consulted agree that the proposal can guarantee impartiality and avoid politicizing the military environment. In the words of Professor Tavares Sobreira, "militaries who choose to pursue a political career may do so without harming the image of the Armed Forces or generating conflicts of interest."

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/brasil-p ... -0005.html

Google Translator

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Chinese Currency Displaces Euro in Brazil’s Foreign Reserves
APRIL 3, 2023
A banknote of China's 100 yuan with a portrait of Mao Zedong over a blurred background of euro banknotes. Photo: Gina Sanders/Fotolia via Wodicka.

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The Chinese currency, referred to as the yuan, surpassed the euro and became the second most important currency of Brazil’s foreign reserves in 2022, according to a report published this Friday by the Central Bank of the South American country.

Until 2019, the yuan was virtually absent from Brazil’s foreign exchange reserves. However, by the end of 2022, the Chinese currency came to represent 5.37% of the holdings of the Brazilian Central Bank, surpassing the 4.74% share of the euro. In 2021 the share of the yuan constituted 4.99% and that of the euro 5.04%.

Meanwhile, the US dollar continues to dominate, holding 80.42% of total foreign exchange reserves in Brazil’s Central Bank, which is currently being questioned by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Earlier this week, the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex) announced that China and Brazil have taken another step to advance trade and investment negotiations between the two countries, which will be carried out directly in their national currencies. Two initial agreements were signed this Wednesday in Beijing, during the Brazil-China Business Forum.

The first agreement establishes that the Brazilian bank, BBM, controlled by the Chinese Bank of Communications (BOCOM), will join the China Interbank Payment System (CIPS), an alternative to the international Swift system in the Asian country.

“The expectation is to reduce the costs of commercial transactions with the direct exchange between the Brazilian real and the Chinese yuan. The bank will be the first direct participant of this system in South America,” read a statement issued by the agency.

Analysts point out that the conflict in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia have fueled the rise of de-dollarization, a process in which currencies such as the yuan play an important role, in order to avoid the risks posed by the US currency.

According to Ju Jiandong, head professor at the School of Finance at Tsinghua University in Beijing, he believes that turning the yuan into an international currency is “a necessary condition for maintaining peace in the world.”

https://orinocotribune.com/chinese-curr ... -reserves/
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Re: Brazil

Post by blindpig » Tue Apr 11, 2023 2:40 pm

Sub-Imperialism and Multipolarity: Brazil’s Dilemma

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Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Photo: Rovena Rosa/ABr Agencia Brasil.

By Justin Podur – Apr 3, 2023

In the Open Veins of Latin America Eduardo Galeano described an 1870 genocidal war of regime change waged on Paraguay by a Triple Alliance of its neighbors, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil, on behalf of British imperialism. The target, nationalist president Solano Lopez, died in battle. The country lost 56,000 square miles of territory. Paraguay’s population was reduced by 83.3 percent. By the end, Galeano wrote: “Brazil had performed the role the British had assigned it.” Before the intervention, “Paraguay had telegraphs, a railroad, and numerous factories manufacturing construction materials, textiles, linens, ponchos, paper and ink, crockery, and gunpowder… the Ibycui foundry made guns, mortars, and ammunition of all calibers… the steel industry… belonged to the state. The country had a merchant fleet… the state virtually monopolized foreign trade; it supplied yerba mate and tobacco to the southern part of the continent and exported valuable woods to Europe… With a strong and stable currency, Paraguay was wealthy enough to carry out great public works without recourse to foreign capital… Irrigation works, dams and canals, and new bridges and roads substantially helped to raise agricultural production. The native tradition of two crops a year, abandoned by the conquistadors, was revived.” After the war: “it was not only the population and great chunks of territory that disappeared, but customs tariffs, foundries, rivers closed to free trade, and economic independence… Everything was looted and everything was sold: lands and forests, mines, yerba mate farms, school buildings.”

Summarizing all this, Galeano wrote: “Paraguay has the double burden of imperialism and subimperialism.”

“Subimperialism,” Galeano continued, “has a thousand faces.” Paraguayan soldiers joined an intervention against the Dominican Republic in 1965, under the command of a Brazilian general, Panasco Alvim. Paraguay “gave Brazil an oil concession on its territory, but the fuel distribution and petrochemical business [was] in U.S. hands.” The U.S. also controlled the university, the army, and the black market as well, of which Galeano wrote: “Through open contraband channels, Brazilian industrial products invade the Paraguayan market, but the Sao Paulo factories that produce them have belonged to U.S. corporations since the denationalizing avalanche of recent years.”

Elaborating on Brazil’s sub-imperial function since 1964, Galeano wrote: “A very influential military clique pictures the country as the great administrator of U.S. interests in the region, and calls on Brazil to become the same sort of boss over the south as the [U.S.] is over Brazil itself.”

Ruy Mauro Marini Analyzes the Phenomenon

It is perhaps no coincidence that the leading scholarly authority on sub-imperialism is the Brazilian scholar Ruy Mauro Marini. Mauro’s 1977 article was published shortly after Galeano’s book. To understand “global capitalist accumulation and subimperialism” some background on the theory of imperialism set out by Lenin is in order, and more recent books like Zak Cope’s The Wealth of Some Nations and Patnaik and Patnaik’s A Theory of Imperialism teach the theory eloquently. The key concepts are unequal exchange and value transfer, magical processes through which the wealthy countries exchange smaller amounts of labor for larger amounts of labor from the poor countries. The mechanisms are many: patent regimes, Western corporate control of Global South resources, denomination of oil and other commodities in U.S. dollars, IMF and Western-bank loan terms and draconian rescue packages, Western arms sales and military training programs—all backed up by the threat of sanctions, coups, invasions, and “color revolutions,” which happen frequently enough to remind Global South governments to stay in line. In Imperialism, Lenin described the pressure on wealthy countries to “go imperialist:” winners in the Western domestic market invariably consolidate and tend towards monopoly; these winners are invariably coordinated increasingly through banks and financial interests; throwing new investments in to a mature market brings lower returns than they can get in newly opened ones, so the financiers seek colonies to get high returns on their growing piles of capital; the colonies also address their interests in labor and raw materials that are cheap (or ideally, free, through theft).

Mauro shows how this dynamic can lead to sub-imperialism if the context is right. Sub-imperialism, he writes, is “the form assumed by the dependent economy when it reaches the stage of monopoly and finance capital,” and it has two basic components.

The first is a “relatively autonomous” expansionist policy that functions under the overall umbrella of U.S. hegemony.

The second is what Mauro calls a “medium” organic composition of capital. To explain this concept an example comparison will suffice: an economy with a high organic composition of capital is one where workers use advanced, costly machinery that itself required a lot of labor to produce (the word “composition” refers to how much so-called “dead labor” went into the machines on which the “living labor” is now laboring). These are the workers in the vacuum labs making nanometre-precise computing chips. An economy with a low organic composition of capital is one where workers labor with their hands or simple tools, cutting sugar cane with machetes as day laborers. Their work is called “unskilled” and their wages are proportionately lower.

In 1977, Mauro argued that in Latin America, only Brazil had both the medium organic composition and the relatively autonomous expansionist policy. But what about today? And what about in other regions?

Generalizing the Concept
Are there sub-imperialists in South Asia? Pakistan exercises its ambitions in Afghanistan under U.S. hegemony. Imran Khan was overthrown in a coup for withdrawing support for the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan; his successors have worked hard to prove their subordination to the hegemon. India meddles in the affairs of its small neighbors like Bhutan and does so under U.S. hegemony; Western corporations certainly have an immense footprint in both India and Pakistan.

In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Turkey qualify as sub-imperialists though both showcase how each sub-imperialist is a special case. In Africa, South Africa has been analyzed as a sub-imperialist and tiny Rwanda could well qualify as a Central African version.

Who doesn’t fit? None of the U.S. Five Eyes partners (Australia, New Zealand, Canada, or UK) nor Japan, nor Israel, since all are high-income countries with higher than “medium” organic composition of capital.

Nor do China, Russia, or Iran fit the sub-imperialist mold. They may exercise hegemony—or contest it—in their regions, but they do not do so under the umbrella of U.S. hegemony.

This brings us back to Brazil and to the changes in the world since the writings of Mauro and Galeano on sub-imperialism.

Sub-Imperialism and Multipolarity
Until very recently, unilateral U.S. hegemony was the basic fact of world affairs.

No one could contest the U.S. invasions of Grenada, Panama, Iraq, or Haiti or its destruction of Yugoslavia and Libya. But Russia and Iran did contest the U.S. plan to dismantle Syria in 2015.

When Yemen voted against the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 1990, they were told that it was “the most expensive vote they ever cast” and punished economically. But by 2022 many countries remained neutral in the Russia-Ukraine War despite Western demands that they support Ukraine. India and China ignored Western demands that they refuse to buy Russian energy, expanding a series of options for trading commodities in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. African countries need not beg Western commercial banks for development finance: they can examine Western offers side-by-side with the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. In 2023, China brokered a peace deal that restored relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

These developments reveal a historical change from a unipolar to a multipolar world order. The world has been under unipolar Anglo-American hegemony since the 1750s. There were world empires prior to that (notably the Spanish and Portuguese) but China and India each had around 25 percent of the world economy even at that time; a few centuries earlier, before the devastation of the Americas, the world was even more multipolar, if much less globalized.

If we are indeed moving away from the unipolar historical pattern, current sub-imperialists have some re-thinking to do: the U.S. umbrella is not what it once was.

Sub-Imperialism or Multipolarity? Which Way for Brazil?

With Lula (Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva) back in the president’s office in Brazil as of 2023, the country faced this precise dilemma. In his previous tenure, Lula acted as both a multipolarist and a sub-imperialist. An early proponent of multipolarity (before the moment had even arrived) through his advocacy of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and of Latin American integration, Lula’s Brazil played the sub-imperial role as well, leading the morally compromised and disastrous UN mission to take over the U.S. occupation of Haiti. Some of the military officers who led the Haiti occupation helped overthrow Lula’s party in the coup that led to his jailing and eventually to Bolsonaro’s destructive presidency.

Bolsonaro was certainly, symbolically sub-imperialist: he saluted the U.S. flag and marched under the Israeli one. But most of his time in office was characterized by a disastrous COVID-19 response, genocidal policies against Indigenous peoples, and a general incoherence on foreign policy. Bolsonaro participated in a regime change stunt in Venezuela but tried to stay out of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Lula returned to office in a context of weaker domestic left-wing movements but a stronger multipolar context. Lula’s Brazil voted with the West in the condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but Brazil was told by Russian diplomats that Russia understood the vote.

There are economic considerations beyond the organic composition of capital that can drive Global South leaders back into the criminal arms of the U.S.—dependence on natural resource exports and foodgrain imports are tendencies that are difficult to reverse, especially in democracies like Brazil that are vulnerable to coups or regression when the right-wing returns to power.

Perhaps Brazil will be the vanguard of multipolarity in the Americas, or the sub-imperialist agent undermining BRICS from the inside. The changing world includes possibilities never contemplated by Galeano, Mauro, or Lenin.

https://orinocotribune.com/sub-imperial ... s-dilemma/

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Bolsonaro Tried To Perpetrate Facism In Brazil: President Lula

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Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. | Photo: Twitter/ @BrianMteleSUR

Published 10 April 2023 (19 hours 28 minutes ago)

Left-wing politician Lula da Silva explained that former President Bolsonaro committed offenses against regional democracy, women, Black people, governors, and the Supreme Court while in power.


In a speech marking his 100th day in office, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday accused his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro of trying to perpetuate fascism in his country.

“That citizen (Bolsonaro) committed offenses against regional democracy, women, Black people, governors, and the Supreme Court while in power,” Lula da Silva said, stressing that public authorities were never treated with "as much disrespect" as during Bolsonaro’s term (2019-2022).

The left-wing politician, who is serving his third term as president, also commented on the Jan. 8 riots in which supporters of Bolsonaro stormed government buildings in Brasilia to try to provoke a military coup just days after Lula da Silva’s inauguration.

"The far-right did not want to leave power and recognize the results of the October 2022 elections,” Lula da Silva stated, stressing that his administration is trying to build a new chapter in the history of Brazil.


“Brazil has a new government that looks after its people and wakes up early to work. My optimism is not exaggerated,” he said, adding that he is confident that the Brazilian Congress will approve a new fiscal framework to boost economic growth.

“Interest rates are currently too high. This long-awaited reform will help counteract this situation,” Lula da Silva stated, promising to launch tenders for solar and wind energy.

“We will not miss the opportunity to turn Latin America's largest country into a green hydrogen powerhouse,” he said, stressing that his administration still has 1,360 days to continue to rebuild Brazil.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Bol ... -0009.html

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They will interrogate 80 soldiers for the coup attempt in Brazil

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Jair Bolsonaro supporters storm the government headquarters before the inauguration of Lula da Silva. | Photo: EFE
Published 11 April 2023

Among the soldiers to be questioned are members of the Presidential Guard Battalion, who are in charge of caring for Lula da Silva.

The Federal Police of Brazil will proceed to question around 80 soldiers throughout this week for their alleged participation in the coup attempt against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on January 8.

According to Brazilian media, on Wednesday, April 12, almost 80 soldiers will be interrogated for the coup acts.

The judge of the Federal Supreme Court, Alexandre de Moraes, had decided in February that it is up to said court to try the soldiers allegedly involved in the coup attack.


When asking Alexandre de Moraes for permission to carry out the interrogations, the Brazilian police pointed out that Military Police agents already interrogated indicated a "possible participation or omission of the Army soldiers."

The soldiers to be interrogated belong to the Institutional Security Cabinet and the Presidential Guard Battalion, who are in charge of the care of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.


After the coup attack, Lula da Silva said he was convinced that members of the Military Police of the Federal District and the Armed Forces acted together with the attackers who forcibly broke into the headquarters of the National Congress, the Supreme Court and the headquarters of the Government .

In videos made about the invasion, you can see how the Army tried to make it difficult for the police to act. In addition, there are even discussions between agents and soldiers, who seemed to want to protect supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/brasil-i ... -0004.html

Google Translator

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100 days of Lula’s presidency: what has changed in Brazil since January 1?
Lula’s administration has significantly shifted the direction of politics in Brazil, sharply departing from his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro

April 10, 2023 by Brasil de Fato

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Crowds at Lula's swearing in on January 1. Photo: Twitter

The administration of Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers’ Party of Brazil (PT) completes 100 days this Monday April 10. Traditionally, this is the milestone in which a first assessment of the new presidential administration in the country is made, with the presentation of new measures to be adopted.

Brasil de Fato spoke to specialists and representatives of people’s movements to find out how these first 100 days are being evaluated. Check out the highlights:

Defense of democracy
Vera Chaia, Professor of Politics at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP), highlighted the importance of the actions of Flávio Dino (Ministry of Justice) in the face of the January 8 terrorist attacks.

“In the beginning, Flávio Dino stood out the most, due to the need to reverse this process and bring peace to Brazilian politics, with an impressive arrest of Bolsonaro’s terrorist supporters on January 8. Dino and Lula’s performance in the resistance was important in Brasília,” explains Chaia.

Economy
Fernando Haddad, in his role as head of the Ministry of Finance, has played an essential role in the construction and presentation of budget. “He has dealt with the most sensitive area, which is the economy, and the whole proposal of his ministry to improve the Brazilian economy, bringing another political dynamic to our economy,” Chaia commented.

For political scientist Mayra Goulart, the highlights were “the presentation of the budget plan and the defense of an economy that prioritizes social policies and social development.” She also points out that Haddad and Simone Tebet, who heads the Brazilian Ministry of Planning, “positioned themselves strongly, but without an open confrontation with the market.”

People’s movements
People’s movements told Brasil de Fato that for the first time since 2016, when Michel Temer assumed power after the coup against Dilma Rousseff, there is an open dialogue with the federal government and the possibility of taking demands to Brasília.

The central demands include the regularization of Indigenous lands and quilombola lands, as well as the regularization of settlements for agrarian reform. On March 21, the government granted land titles to three quilombola communities. So far, no settlements have been regularized nor have Indigenous lands been demarcated.

In the view of Iury Paulino, from the national coordination of the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB), the challenge for the movements “is to defend the government from fascist attacks, but, at the same time, press for the advancement of people-focused agendas.” For Paulino, and on a more emergency basis, the government will have to take a position regarding the renewal of licenses such as that of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Power Plant, whose construction expelled 55,000 people from their land and whose operation dries up the water for 130 kilometers of the Volta Grande do Xingu, in the Amazon.

“The recognition of our lands,” emphasizes Val Eloy Terena, coordinator of the Brazil’s Indigenous People Articulation (APIB), is “the main demand of the movement,” because “without territory, there is no way to discuss agendas such as health, education, politics for women, children and youth.”

For Dinaman Tuxá, APIB’s executive coordinator, “in practice, the government’s most incisive action was the task force to combat mining in the Yanomami Indigenous land. We are also seeing the creation of dialogue to contain the most tense spaces, such as the creation of crisis offices for conflict areas.”

With regards to agrarian reform, the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST) emphasizes that it believes it is necessary to structure the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA) and for the definitive settlement of 65,000 families who live in camps.

“INCRA is like Funai (National Indigenous Peoples Foundation) of the landless people in Brazil. It is the authority responsible for inspecting, classifying properties, contacting the owner, negotiating, acquiring, updating registrations,” explains José Damasceno, from the MST’s national board.

Environment
The “zero deforestation” policy was one of the main campaign promises, in contrast to the environmental devastation left by Jair Bolsonaro. As president, Lula has implemented vital measures for the preservation of biomes, but he still has not definitively reversed the destructive actions in the Amazon and the Cerrado. And experts predict that it is a much longer process.

Environmentalists that spoke to Brasil de Fato are confident that the results should appear in the upcoming years, as long as there is stricter inspection and fewer concessions to agribusiness.

Ane Alencar, Director of Science at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute and coordinator of the Cerrado and Fogo biomes at MapBiomas, says that data from the Real Time Deforestation Detection System (Deter) indicate a significant reduction in deforestation up to March 24: in the Amazon it went from 941 km² to 710 km² and, in the Cerrado, from 1288 km² to 1244 km².

“It is already something to celebrate, especially in the case of the Amazon. But we need to consolidate this reduction. And this consolidation will happen as the government becomes more structured and organized,” says the MapBiomas member.

The Brazilian Environmental Governance Observatory (OGAM), created in 2022, calls on the Lula government to expand civil society participation in the National Environmental Council (Conama). The organization is the most important for dialogue between the federal government and civil society, but it had been emptied by Bolsonaro.

This piece first appeared in Brasil de Fato.

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/04/10/ ... january-1/
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Re: Brazil

Post by blindpig » Wed May 10, 2023 1:38 pm

THE DELUSIONAL FOREIGN POLICY OF LULA DA SILVA
May 9, 2023 , 2:09 p.m.

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Lula da Silva greets supporters on November 9, 2019 in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil. (Photo: Pedro Vilela/Getty Images)

The foreign policy of Brazilian President Lula da Silva is the subject of controversy, mainly because of his approach to projecting illusory and unrealizable ideas that may capture the attention of the media, but lack practical application or a necessary grounding.

There are several proposals that have been left on the table up to now and that in their superficiality are easily sold as "grandiose" and attractive, however, from the initial emotion with which they are presented, nothing more has remained to materialize them.

One of Lula's most prominent has been the proposal to create a common currency for the countries of South America, "South" . The launch of the proposal by Lula da Silva, in the company of Argentine President Alberto Fernández, was an event that caught the attention of the world, generating expectations in the Latin American region.

The idea of ​​having a regional currency is attractive due to the advantages it offers, such as the reduction of international transaction costs and the creation of a greater space for economic integration in the region, among others.

Despite its optimistic presentation, the efforts to materialize the initiative have practically been diluted in the speech of the Brazilian president. We previously said that there was a risk that Brazil and Argentina would take the lead in the project, since an abrupt change of government in one of the two cases, through elections or coup, would stall the initiative. Time seems to show that such an extreme scenario has not been necessary to stop the discussion of technical and operational conditions that are needed for the "South" currency to be viable. His future remains uncertain.

Lula has also advocated for the movement to free Julian Assange , the founder of WikiLeaks, who has spent four years in solitary confinement at Britain's Belmarsh jail, accused of spreading classified information evidencing crimes committed by Western powers in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

President Lula da Silva denounced the lack of joint efforts to free Assange, which could be interpreted as a gesture of support for freedom of expression and investigative journalism. However, the inconsistency arises when one takes into account that the Brazilian president made these statements after attending the coronation of King Charles III of the United Kingdom, the same country that has imprisoned the Australian journalist and wants to extradite him to the United States without no legal justification.

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Lula da Silva attends the proclamation ceremony of the new king of the United Kingdom, May 5, 2023 (Photo: Ian Jones)

How is it possible that he is critical of the British judicial system in the Assange case, while at the same time he is attending a British monarchy event? This added to the fact that in his statement on Assange he said that "he had forgotten to discuss the matter with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunat, but that he will write to him when he returns to Brazil", suggests that the issue is only relevant to give him forces the possible projection of a progressive image.

Another idea that the Brazilian head of state has raised is that of a "retirement" for South American presidents . The "withdrawal" format would allow more intimate conversations between the region's heads of state with fewer formalities and restricted delegations, according to media reports. Lula da Silva sent invitation letters to her counterparts in the region to attend the event in Brasilia on May 30, including President Nicolás Maduro. In the letter, Lula defends the need to "revitalize integration in South America" ​​and mentions the importance of "cooperation in defense, health and infrastructure, among other issues."

Although it is true that since Lula's return to power, Brazil has rejoined the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), which marks a difference with the leadership that the previous government of Jair Bolsonaro was leading the country, it cannot be affirmed that there has been significant continuity.

In this context, the organization of a "retreat of presidents" can be interpreted as a laughable attempt by Brazil to recover the leadership it has lost in these organizations and in the region in general. In addition, it occurs at a time when Mexico has had initiatives in the same field of regional integration.

Another of Lula's proposals that has received great media attention is to "create a group of countries not involved in the war between Russia and Ukraine to mediate for peace." It does not make clear what this group would look like and what role it would play, nor does it delve into the details and context of the ongoing war, nor does it acknowledge the fundamental facts behind the conflict, leaving its idea as a simplistic solution to a complex problem. In addition, Brazil voted against Russia (BRICS partner) for a United Nations resolution condemning the "Russian invasion" in Ukraine.

Finally, Lula has stated that he will persuade the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to adopt a more favorable position towards Argentina. It is difficult to imagine how Lula da Silva hopes to influence an international financial institution such as the IMF, which has never changed its monetary policy based on criteria that do not favor it economically, and over which the United States maintains a decisive influence.


The announcement that the Brazilian president has the ability to "take the knife out of Argentina's neck" sounds more like a political statement aimed at garnering more positive media responses than a clear strategy to solve that country's financial problems. In fact, he did not mention any concrete action that he would be determined to take to achieve the goal.

President Lula da Silva's diplomatic activity has been marked by visits and meetings with leaders of other countries, both from the unipolar and multipolar blocs, in which he has sought to consolidate Brazil's presence in the international arena and promote its image as a power emerging, playing geopolitical balancing act in an era of definitions. However, the approach of coming up with unrealistic or useless "big ideas" makes these diplomatic efforts lose their value and meaning.

https://misionverdad.com/globalistan/la ... a-da-silva

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Re: Brazil

Post by blindpig » Sat May 13, 2023 1:32 pm

João Paulo Rodrigues: “The Parliamentary Investigation Against MST is an Opportunity to Dispute Ideas”
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on MAY 12, 2023
José Eduardo Bernardes

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The national leader of the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST), João Paulo Rodrigues. Photo: Guilherme Santos/Sul21

The Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry on the MST (Landless Workers’ Movement), articulated by Bolsonaro supporters and the ruralist group in the Chamber of Deputies, installed last week, has not yet held its first session.

Under the control of federal deputy Coronel Zucco (Republican Party) and with possible reporting by Jair Bolsonaro’s former Minister of the Environment, Ricardo Salles (Liberal Party), the investigation uses as a parameter occupations that were part of the Movement’s Red April Journey, that happens every year, since the Massacre of Eldorado dos Carajás in 1996, in the state of Pará, which left 21 landless workers dead.

According to the national coordinator of the MST, João Paulo Rodrigues, the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry “is stillborn, from the point of view of its object”. However, “it will have a lot of propaganda power”. On the other hand, points out the coordinator, there is a window of opportunity for the movement itself to reveal to society what its strategies are when occupying land that does not fulfill its social function.

João Paulo Rodrigues is this week’s guest at BDF Interview and comments on the wave of solidarity that the Movement has received since the installation of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry. One of them, from a group of jurists and lawyers, who were willing to help the MST during the investigation period.

“We have received hundreds of solidarity messages from parties, trade union centrals, even government sectors, the National Congress, international friends and lawyers, making themselves available to help the Movement. This demonstrates the seriousness and commitment that the MST has with the political struggle in Brazil”, he explains.

In the conversation, Rodrigues also talks about the National Agrarian Reform Fair, which will start this week, in Parque da Água Branca, in the central region of the city of São Paulo. The traditional event, which aims to bring the Movement’s producers closer to the urban sectors of society, takes place at the same time that the MST is facing this dispute in the National Congress.

Check out the interview:

Brasil de Fato: The MST’s CPI, as the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry articulated by the ruralist group against the Landless Movement has been called, should have its first session in the coming weeks. How did the movement react to this investigation?

João Paulo Rodrigues: Look, it’s more of a political persecution against the MST. A Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry that has no predefined object. It will be yet another stage, a theater play for the Parliament to make hate speeches against peasants, on the agenda of agrarian reform and, at the same time, embarrass the government and the judiciary on matters involving the land issue in Brazil .

It is a pity that we have to go through this fifth Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry, as part of our political struggle. We believe that we are going to face it with our heads held high and, at the same time, build a support agenda so that people are in solidarity with our struggle and with the agrarian reform agenda.

There were just over 30 land occupations, which are part of the Red April Journeys, a traditional period of struggle for the MST, some of them in very important areas for agribusiness. Was that what, in fact, mobilized the ruralist group?

There are 33 occupations. From that total, three were in symbolic areas for them, it’s understandable. Occupying a eucalyptus area in Brazil, belonging to the largest company in the world, which is Suzano, it is understandable the size of the strength they have. Occupying an abandoned area owned by Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation), which agribusiness thinks is their symbol, is also part of an idea that we are nudging a very sensitive area of agribusiness.

Now both areas have problems. When the MST occupied it, it was precisely to denounce their symbol. Embrapa has unproductive land, 3 thousand hectares, Suzano has taken over public land. Therefore, we want precisely to denounce that there are not only unproductive areas of agribusiness, the latifundia.

There are other areas that must be taken into account, for society to examine when making a national agrarian reform plan.

This, as you commented, is the fifth Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry that tries to investigate the Landless Workers’ Movement. In the previous investigation, the MST maintained contracts with the federal government. Now, there is no direct relationship between the MST and the government. Even so, do you think that the Commission of Inquiry has the capacity to wear down the federal government?

Look, it is a Commission of Inquiry that is stillborn, from the point of view of its object, but it will have a lot of propaganda power. For the Bolsonarist media, it is much easier to open the microphone to the Commission of Inquiry against us, than to the Commission on the attacks of the 8th of January. In practice, they will cover up the Commission of Inquiry on the 8th of January and will give greater visibility to the Commission of Inquiry on the MST.

Now, it is an ideological dispute. If we manage to gain strength in society, we can also take advantage and guide the reasons for the occupations, then we will reach the unproductive, vacant areas. We are going to reach the large estates, the areas that use pesticides and the lands stolen by big capital.

We are going to have to be very careful, this is not a time for provocation and as we have been saying around, the MST has three main missions: defend the government; defend our settlers and campers; and maintain autonomy in order to be able to fight and, at the same time, mobilize.

And, at the same time that the news about the Commission of Inquiry is circulating, the MST promotes another edition of the National Agrarian Reform Fair, in São Paulo, in the Parque da Água Branca. It starts this week, on May 11th. Is this also an opportunity to bring the movement even closer to the city?

I have no doubts about that. The Agrarian Reform Fair is the highlight of the movement, where we have the ability to dialogue with society, to provide an account of how many families have benefited from the agrarian reform program, and of what is being produced throughout the country.

Today there are approximately 60,000 families waiting for land to plant and to live camped in different regions of the country, but mostly in the Northeast region.

That is why we are very excited about the Fair. There are more than 500 tons of food arriving. A huge amount of variety of products made throughout the country and varied cuisines. This fair will be a milestone in the fight against the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry.

Talking about this approximation of the city and the countryside, about taking the MST to the urban environment, in recent years there has been a movement towards bringing people closer to the Movement. Many caps were sold, in addition to other MST symbols. This was a tactic that the Movement adopted during the Bolsonaro government. How has this reception been in urban areas?

Look, the MST, in the last period, maybe it was the moment when it has created more relationships with society. I think it’s a combination of factors: first, our fight against the coup, in defense of Dilma; the fight in defense of Lula; our active participation in the elections. But I think the most emblematic thing, and what made the MST gain more followers and supporters, were the solidarity campaigns we carried out against hunger and extreme poverty during the pandemic.

I think this is the result of years of work and what made people see the MST as a serious organization, with the ability to organize and a capacity to mobilize its militancy to contribute to solidarity campaigns, with literacy agendas for young people and adults, also with the agricultural production agenda.

That is why I’m excited. I think it is a nice moment for the MST with society and that is why we have to take care of this moment. And to care for this moment is to occupy unproductive latifundia, to denounce the land concentration, to fight in defense of healthy food and being very generous with the working class, together in the main battles that the people have been waging and fighting throughout the country.

You actively participated in President Lula’s campaign, closely followed how the formation of the government unfolded. Having completed just over 100 days of government, what is your assessment of the government in this first quarter? There are some difficulties, mainly in the economic area, and other great challenges…

I think there are positive points, points that I still don’t know how to assess, and there are negative points. I would draw attention, among the positive points, to Lula’s ability to take the government’s reins on the issue of the economy. It was very fast, he is managing to hit the points.

The capacity to approve a Constitutional Amendment Proposal that improves the government’s budget in the National Congress, already in the first days of government. And, at the same time, this agenda of continuity of social projects and programs that is being consolidated in the country. They are important points. I think that Lula’s main thing is to advance against hunger and that he is managing to do and we have to recognize that.

Now, there are still many problems in the political articulation, in relation to the movements, you still have to adjust the timing of each social program with the demands that exist in the countryside and, at the same time, the difficulties of building a majority in the National Congress.

But I am very confident with our government, that it will work and that the way for us to support this government is to be together in difficulties. But also being together in the fights, pressing for it to fulfill its social function and the improvement of agrarian reform.

What do you expect from the Commission of Inquiry on the 8th of January? The Federal Supreme Court has already made defendants more than 400 people who were arrested during the acts and in the days that followed.

Look, I think that the expectation is very high for us, at least, to better understand the dynamics of Bolsonarism, when thinking about an action like that. It is time to find out who the supporters were, if it was a coup, if it was just a protest, who was behind each of the acts that were built and, at the same time, in my opinion, to identify the Military Forces that were behind this coup.

I think this is the high point, which will be a time for the Congress, for the Deputies to investigate the hidden forces that produced this great coup action on January 8th.

Another issue that has to do with the Commission of Inquiry on the 8th of January is the Fake News Bill. It is a project that has been underway since 2020, it is not necessarily a matter for the federal government and it had some difficulty moving forward – obviously, the scenario of the last four years was a complicating factor – and now it faces difficulties in Congress. What can we expect from this Bill?

The Bill is a super radical confrontation. He did not go through little political articulation, it is because the basis of the coup is given by fake news. The base of the coup is a combination of agribusiness, large international financial capital, which is out there financing this type of thing, the Armed Forces and fake news.

If you manage to stop fake news, which is the famous weapon of the big techs, you will uncover and stop part of the fascism advance in Brazil. That is why the fight being waged in the National Congress is a historic fight, it’s a historic bill. If we manage to pass the project by Deputy Orlando [Silva] (Communist Party of Brazil – São Paulo) as it is, it will be a great advance for all of us.

You mentioned the big techs, and they publicly demonstrated their opposition to the Bill, allied with some congressional groups, such as the evangelicals, who wanted to maintain the idea of spreading hate and lies through social networks. How did you see the performance of the large technology companies that even hindered the progress of the process in the National Congress?

I think there are different goals there. Each political group had a goal to block the undertaking of this project: the evangelicals, because they want to continue spreading the idea that only they have the possibility of taking us to heaven; Bolsonarism, because it needs to create narratives from fake news; and the big techs, in my opinion, for the amount of money that fake news generates with boosts, and so on.

I think that the goal of big techs is not even that they are fascists – it could even be, like Elon Musk from Twitter, but the others are much more for the money they can lose, in case they have to inspect and follow closely the topic of fake news.

For them, then, it is an economic problem. In front of any action that hinders their economic action, they will have this behavior. I think this debate deserves to be better deepened in society, it has to be more popular, otherwise, no matter how much we win in the Chamber, it will still be a project that will have difficulty gaining support on the streets and in the middle of the digital area.

The leaders of popular movements often say that a government without popular support, without people on the street, cannot sustain itself or cannot pass on its projects. How are the movements articulating to give this support to the government and take agendas that are important to the streets?

I think it’s still very early, people are seeing the government’s 100 days balance, I think it’s still very early, people are seeing the government’s 100 days balance (EN), building its strategies. There is a will to have a front against Bolsonarism and fight against the interest rate policy. There is a desire to have a new front, which is popular participation in the government’s project and the consolidation of the Popular Committee. But everything is still under construction.

I think it’s still early for us to say how the movements will behave when it comes to the government over the next four years. Each one is taking stock and seeing what’s left after six years of the coup and, at the same time, organizing a strategy that can withstand the complexity of the next period, which is to fight in defense of Lula, in defense of our rights and against the far-right wing.

Despite this, the 1st of May was a great act, therefore needs to be valued. The women’s journey on March 8th was important. And I call attention here to our April Jouney, which demonstrated the Brazilian people’ss will to continue fighting even when the government is ours.

Translated by: Lucas Peresin

Edited by: Flávia Chacon e Rodrigo Durão Coelho

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2023/05/ ... ute-ideas/

Brazil: Why is the MST So Frightening?
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on MAY 12, 2023
Frei Beto

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Foto: Leonardo Milano

The MST (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra/Landless Workers Movement), which I saw born and to which I remain linked, is the most popular, combative and democratic popular movement in Brazil. Today, it gathers around 500 thousand settled families and 100 thousand families in camps. It fights for a fundamental right, never fulfilled in Brazil, a country of continental dimensions and where there are many people without land and a lot of land without people – agrarian reform.

It is, to say the least, a shame to note that in the 21st century the only countries that did not carry out agrarian reform in Latin America were Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. The model of land ownership that still exists in our country is that of hereditary captaincies. And the relationship of many landowners with their employees is little different from the times of slavery.

Born in 1984 and about to turn 40 in 2024, the MST has known, since its beginnings, that government is like beans, it only works in a pressure cooker… Although it contributed decisively to elect Lula president, the MST never allowed itself to be co-opted by the government. It maintains its autonomy and knows very well that the government’s relationship with social movements cannot be one of “transmission belt” but rather one of representation of the social bases within governmental instances. Many politicians fill their mouths with the word “democracy”, but fear that it will pass from mere rhetoric to being, in fact, a government whose main protagonist is the organized people.

The MST also stands out because of the care it devotes to the political training of its militants, which many left-wing movements and parties neglect. The landless even maintain their own space for pedagogical work, the Florestan Fernandes School, in Guararema (SP). And in all the events it promotes, the movement values “mistica”, that is, playful activities (songs, hymns, banners, etc.) and symbols (photos, handicrafts, etc.) that serve as attractors.

The MST strictly follows the dictates of the Citizen’s Constitution of 1988. The Charter sets forth and defends the social use of land, which must respect the environment and be productive. And it requires something that is still not fulfilled and essential if Brazil wants to achieve sustainable development and abandon its submission to the dictates of metropolitan nations, which impose on us the mere condition of exporters of primary products, today elegantly called “commodities”…

Occupation is not invasion. The MST never occupies productive land. Today, the movement is the largest producer of organic rice in Latin America and defends an Agroecological Agrarian Reform, that facilitates access to land as a human right; produces healthy and sustainable food for the entire Brazilian society; offers the market wholesome foods free of pesticides; values the role of rural working women; expands the number of agroecology cooperatives; and expands food sovereignty and biodiversity in the fight against hunger and food insecurity.

The “Red April” campaign does not use the adjective as an evocation of the preferred color of communist symbols (and, also, of the cardinals’ solemn vestments), as the MST’s detractors want to interpret. It instead refers to the color of the blood of the 19 landless people cruelly murdered by the Military Police in Eldorado dos Carajás, in the south of Pará, on April 17, 1996. Seven victims were killed with scythes and machetes, and the others by gunfire. point-blank.

About 100,000 families are awaiting settlement in Brazil. And it is at least a disservice for agribusiness to promote the deforestation of our forests to expand the agricultural frontier, enjoy tax exemption on the export of its products and concentrate its production on just five goods: soy, corn, wheat, rice, and meat, controlled by large transnational companies.

Hunger grows in the world. Almost 1 billion people are already affected. And this is not the result of lack of food. The planet produces enough to feed 12 billion mouths. It results from a lack of justice. In the capitalist system, the hungry die on the sidewalk outside the supermarket. Because food has exchange value and not use value. Now, while food production does not follow agroecological standards and land and water, limited natural resources, are not considered humanity’s heritage, inequality tends to get worse and, with it, all sorts of conflicts. Peace rhymes with bread.

The MST is so frightening because it fights for Brazil, one of the richest nations in the world, and one of the five largest food producers, to stop being a peripheral, colonized country, marked by abysmal social inequality.

I hope that one day, the verses sung by João Cabral de Melo Neto in “Funeral of a Worker” never come true again: “It’s not a big grave / It’s a measured grave / It’s the land you wanted / To see divided”.

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2023/05/ ... ightening/
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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Re: Brazil

Post by blindpig » Thu Jun 08, 2023 2:34 pm

Brazil: STF Again Postpones Indigenous Land Demarcation Trial

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So far only three of the 11 magistrates have voted. Jun. 7, 2023. | Photo: Twitter/@resendeandrade1

Published 7 June 2023 (11 hours 46 minutes ago)

The trial resumed today after having been postponed since September 2021.


The Supreme Federal Court (STF) on Wednesday postponed a decisive trial for indigenous peoples and the demarcation of their ancestral territories, shortly after it resumed.

Judge André Mendonça asked for more time to analyze the trial that began in 2021. According to STF rulings, the process was postponed for 90 days.

The vote will decide whether the "timeframe" thesis is valid, which only recognizes as indigenous territories those that were occupied by them when the Constitution was enacted, in 1988.

The trial resumed today after having been postponed since September 2021. So far only three of the 11 magistrates have voted (two votes against and one in favor). On Wednesday, only Justice Alexandre de Moraes voted against it.

Should the "timeframe" criterion be approved, people who cannot prove that they have occupied their territories since before that date could be expelled.


Meanwhile, members of indigenous communities from all over Brazil decided to camp in the capital at the beginning of this week to accompany the trial.

The indigenous people seek to sensitize the judges to vote against the timeframe. Protests have been registered in eight states. Authorities said that during the day, there were road blockades by indigenous people in at least three states.

Last week, the Chamber of Deputies approved a bill validating this timeframe. The text must still be voted on in the Senate.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Bra ... -0020.html

Deforestation In The Brazilian Amazon Fell 31% This Year

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The data released "represents a 10% drop in the month of May." Jun. 7, 2023. | Photo: Twitter/@EJTodayNews

Published 7 June 2023 (11 hours 34 minutes ago)

This week, the federal government launched the new edition of the Plan to Prevent and Combat Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAm).


Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest fell by 31% between January and May compared to the same period last year, according to data from the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe).

In total, 1,986 km2 of Amazon rainforest was lost in the first five months, compared to 2,867 km2 of deforested area in the same period last year, according to the Institute.

The executive secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA), João Paulo Capobianco, told the press that "the current government has received [from the previous administration] a high rate of deforestation in the Amazon, in a very important range".

According to the official, the data released "represent a 10 percent drop in the month of May, compared to May of the previous year". From January to May this year, there was a 31 percent drop in deforestation."


The Brazilian government said that about 46 percent of this year's deforestation occurred on rural properties with public registration in the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), in which the government can identify the person responsible for the area, whether an owner or a squatter in the land regularization process.

Another 21% of the deforested area was in rural settlements and 15% in undesignated public forest areas. Smaller percentages were observed in conservation units, indigenous lands, and permanent preservation areas.

"Much of the deforestation in the Amazon is illegal, it was not authorized," said the president of the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), Rodrigo Agostinho. He added that this year 7,196 infraction reports have been issued and more than 2,200 farms, plots or rural lots have been seized, that is, their activities have been prohibited.


This week, the federal government launched the new edition of the Plan to Prevent and Combat Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAm), which has been under discussion since the beginning of the year. It was submitted for public consultation in April, with more than 500 suggestions received.

The document establishes more than 130 goals to be achieved by 2027, including seizures of deforested areas, suspension of irregular registrations, application of fines, hiring of personnel, increased inspection of areas, and regularization of property titles, among others.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Def ... -0021.html

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The Other Desaparecidos
JUNE 7, 2023

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A poster depicting Jair Bolsonaro driving a jet ski below the words "fuck you" near a homeless encampment in São Paulo, Brazil. Photo: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters.

By Emir Sader – Jun 5, 2023

There are two types of desaparecidos (disappeared people): the physically disappeared and the legally disappeared. A young and already highly qualified Brazilian researcher focuses on a particular subgroup: the undocumented, those who seek to survive without personal identity documents — a group of people who are not seen as citizens.

When imprisoned by a system that does not grant them proper identity documents, they are registered by punitive bodies that do not even allow them to use their name. When released after being arrested, this group of tens of thousands of people in Brazil do not even possess identity documents. They are detained as undocumented and released as undocumented, as if it were their destiny in life. There is citizen invisibility and citizen visibility.

“And if I don’t exist, why do they charge me,” is the title of Letícia Chahaira’s book, edited by the Public Policy Laboratory of the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ). The title of her book is taken from the lyrics of a song by one of the greatest contemporary Brazilian musicians, the rapper Criolo.

Chahaira realized that the number of people without birth registration in Brazil was nearly three million. These people are unable to access services such as hospitals, schools and many others that, according to the Constitution, are considered universal rights.

Initial marginalization occurs when people are required to have an identity document to access their rights. On the other hand, the State does not require this documentation when the person enters the prison system.

A third of the prison population in Rio de Janeiro does not have civil identification. Nationwide, eight out of ten people [in prison] do not have identity documents. “Invisible as a citizen, this person can spend an entire life in which they do not exist in terms of legal-procedural ties to the State. For that reason, they are deprived access to the most fundamental rights, feeling restricted and denied of human rights that should overcome any type of condition,” reads the book.

In Brazil, identity documents are required for almost all activities. In the current legislation, social rights are universal, but the undocumented subject is deprived of the enjoyment of fundamental human rights.

Chahaira confirms the serious violation of human rights committed by the State by demanding the presentation of documents for the most essential activities while not providing a significant portion of the people with those documents. Thus, the State fails to fulfill its duty to recognize the subject of rights that should be guaranteed to all.

However, the punitive arm of the State does not hesitate to subject them to the repressive State, even when the individual is detained without the necessary documentation to verify their true identity.

“Lack of civil identity indicates an allocation that someone can be treated as less than a human being,” Chahaira writes. “A person’s color/race and the territory they occupy are already sufficient attributes for abusive punitive and police actions. But the lack of identification aggravates this fact, rendering the undocumented individual a victim of the State’s minimal protection of their living conditions.”

The work seeks to explain the very serious problem of civil under-registration, analyzing the conditions in Brazil, which are reproduced in practically every country on the continent.

https://orinocotribune.com/the-other-desaparecidos/

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Operation Car Wash and the Controversial FBI Assistance to the Greatest anti-Corruption Operation in Brazil History
By Priscila Villela - June 7, 2023 0

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[Source: washingtontimes.com]

Evidence collected by The Intercept revealed that Operation Car Wash, an anti-corruption investigation led by Brazilian Federal Prosecutors and the Federal Police from 2014 to 2021, received support from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The operation had a significant impact on Brazilian politics, including the undermining of the government, which led to the impeachment of then-President Dilma Rousseff (PT), the imprisonment of then ex-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), as well as the rise of right-wing populist Jair Bolsonaro, and Sergio Moro, the case’s judge who became Bolsonaro’s Minister of Justice.

While Sergio Moro’s involvement in the Car Wash investigation initially elevated his status and positioned him as a symbol of anti-corruption efforts, the operation’s controversial proceedings and allegations of bias began to undermine his credibility.

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Sergio Moro and Jair Bolsonaro [Source: upstreamonline.com]

The leaked “Vaza Jato” messages and other controversies raised doubts about the fairness and impartiality of the investigation and the judicial process. As a result, Lula’s conviction was eventually overturned, allowing him to become president again. Furthermore, Sergio Moro’s decisions as a judge in Operation Car Wash faced scrutiny, leading to the annulment of some of his rulings and casting doubt on the integrity of the investigation as a whole.

The fate of the operations is still at stake, with news referencing the case still being released on a weekly basis. Last month, on May 9, 2023, Gilmar Mendes and Dias Toffoli, Judges of the Brazilian Supreme Court (STF), voted to consider former Judge Sergio Moro biased in yet another case related to Operation Car Wash.

In 2021, a group of 20 U.S. congressmen sent a letter to the United States Department of Justice requesting that the Biden administration make public information about how American investigative agencies cooperated with Operation Car Wash in Brazil.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s lawyers also demanded that authorities clarify whether there was informality or irregularity in this cooperation.

What is the importance of Operation Car Wash to the United States? Why did the FBI participate in anti-corruption investigations in Brazil? How common is it for American law enforcement agencies to invest in overseas operations? Why did American congressmen criticize that initiative? Are there implications for bilateral relations between the United States and Brazil?

Operation Car Wash
Operation Car Wash was revealed to the press in 2014 as the largest anti-corruption action in the history of Brazil. The investigations targeted criminal organizations involved in money laundering, including agents in the public and private sectors. Its inauguration pointed out irregularities in the domestic and international operations of Petrobras, the largest state company in the country.

The conducting of the operation involved articulation with a group of governmental bodies, including the Federal Police, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, and the justice system of various states in Brazil, notably the nucleus in the state of Paraná, led by Federal Prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol and Judge Sergio Moro.

The operation charged hundreds of individuals, issuing bench warrants and more than a thousand search-and-seizure warrants, and there were also leaked private messages and telephone calls. It froze millions of reais and triggered an economic crisis and the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff as well as prison terms for various high-profile Brazilian businessmen and politicians.

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[Source: foreignbrief.com]

Among the companies involved in this case were Odebrecht and Petrobras, which are transnational companies, and it also attracted the involvement of elites and judicial systems of other countries. The operation was officially closed in 2021, and the investigations still under way were taken over by the Special Acting Group in the Fight Against Organized Crime, which is responsible for organizing task forces which assist with the work of the Federal Police.

“Vaza Jato” leaks
The so-called “Vaza Jato” refers to a series of investigative reports released in 2019 by the news website The Intercept Brasil and other media outlets. These reports brought to light a series of revelations about Operation Car Wash as one of the largest corruption investigations in the history of Brazil.

According to the reports, the leaked material was obtained through an anonymous source and consisted of messages exchanged between prosecutors of the Car Wash task force, especially the then-federal Judge Sergio Moro, and prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol, as well as other team members.

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Deltan Dallagnol, speaks during a press conference about the Lava Jato operation on the Petrobras corruption scandal, in Curitiba on March 16, 2015. [Source: theintercept.com]

The messages revealed private conversations that suggested questionable conduct on the part of the prosecutors and the judge, including alleged ethical violations, improper coordination, bias, and undue interference in the direction of the cases. The reports also pointed to collaboration between the task force and Judge Moro, raising questions about the impartiality of the judicial decisions made within the Car Wash operation. The impacts of these revelations contributed to questioning and revisions regarding the practices adopted during Car Wash and the way the investigations were conducted.

What the FBI has to do with it?
Within the vast volume of information contained in the leaks, we became aware of the assistance that the FBI provided to the legal experts and law enforcement officers involved in the investigation and trial of the case.

As part of the investigations, Brazilian and American authorities cooperated specially in the sharing of information and joint investigations. This was partly due to the fact that the corruption scheme involved international companies and financial operations that went through banks in the United States. Additionally, the systemic corruption in Brazil also posed a concern for the United States government regarding the political and economic stability of the region.

That was not the whole story, though. The leaks made public very close and informally (if not illegally) close ties between FBI agents and members of Operation Car Wash. In the beginning of the operation in 2015, a delegation of 17 American agents including prosecutors from the Department of Justice and FBI agents, traveled to Curitiba for a secret meeting with members of the Federal Prosecutor’s office and with lawyers of business people under investigation in Operation Car Wash.

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[Source: telesurenglish.net]

Through this meeting, they sought to establish a partnership with the FBI in the investigations, which included negotiating with the lawyers of those collaborating in the investigation and sending them to testify in the United States, avoiding restrictions from Brazilian laws.

The agendas of the meetings were not released at the request of the American agents, and the Ministry of Justice only found out about this visit when the meetings were already under way. By law, however, mediation with foreign police forces should be performed by the Department of Assets and International Justice Cooperation (DAIJC) of the Ministry of Justice.

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FBI agents in Brazil: What role did they play in Operation Car Wash? [Source: apublica.org]

When asked for clarification, Prosecutor Daltan Dallagnol responded that the Ministry of Justice should consult the U.S. Department of Justice, “because they asked us to keep it confidential.” They also asked Prosecutor Vladimir Aras, the Head of the International Cooperation Sector of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, to avoid publicizing the names of the American investigators to the Brazilian government to avoid “making noise” with their international partners.

These statements reveal a favoring of U.S. partners over their Brazilian affiliates, thereby infringing on the legal terms of the Accord concerning Judicial Assistance in Penal Matters (1997), which establishes the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice in intermediating relationships with the U.S. Department of Justice.

For this reason, Lula’s defense team requested that the Brazilian Supreme Court demand clarification from the Ministry of Justice regarding any potential cooperation between Operation Car Wash and the FBI. In 2021, a group of 20 American congressmen sent a letter to the Department of Justice of the United States requesting that the government make public information about how U.S. investigative agencies cooperated with Operation Car Wash in Brazil.

“If the DoJ played any role in the erosion of Brazilian democracy, we must take action and ensure accountability to prevent it from ever happening again,” stated Democratic Congresswoman Susan Wild from Pennsylvania, one of the signatories of the letter to the DoJ, in an interview with BBC News Brazil.

Among all the concerns raised by the Congress Members is the history of U.S. interference in Latin American democracies. Susan Wild also refers to the role that the U.S. government and law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI itself, played in military coups and police brutality during right-wing dictatorships in Latin America, in the context of the Cold War. During the presidency of Democrat Barack Obama (2009-2017), the country initiated what became known as the “diplomacy of openness” making public classified diplomatic documents about human rights violations committed by the dictatorial regimes in Brazil, Argentina and Chile.

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Congressman Raúl Grijalva from Arizona reinforced the point that “the United States has a dark history of intervention in Latin American internal politics, and we need to fully understand the extent of U.S. involvement (with Operation Car Wash) to prevent any unacceptable implication from happening in the future.”

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Steve Moore [Source: injusticeinperugia.blogspot.com]

One of the FBI agents who participated in Operation Car Wash, Steve Moore, also emphasized to the press the FBI works with groups of Brazilian police officers who have been “carefully selected and trained by the United States for many years,” what indicates to us that it is not a new or exceptional case.

Policing and Politics: from the war on communism to the war on crime
If the report reveals that Operation Car Wash was one of the most important investigations that fostered partnerships between the Federal Police and the FBI, it is worth noting that it was not the first one.

Training and assistance programs for foreign police forces have been a permanent part of U.S. international policy vis-à-vis Latin America since the early decades of the 20th century. As an alternative means of intervention, the practice has been regarded as instrumental for the dissemination of social control mechanisms in the light of the U.S.’s national interests and security agendas. Throughout history, various challenges and narratives have oriented these programs.

Since the 1930s, one of the key missions of the crusade against communism was the development of programs to modernize Latin American police forces, Brazil’s included, with a view to developing their capacity to contain the expansion of the insurgent groups that were destabilizing governments in the region. The goal was to disseminate an anti-communist hard-line stance in Brazilian police institutions, build an intelligence network oriented toward internal security, and guarantee the longevity of allied governments that could safeguard U.S. hegemony over its zone of influence.

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Brazilian police officer arrests student during a protest against the military dictatorship in the late 1960s. The U.S. covertly trained Brazil’s police in this era under the cover of civilian foreign aid programs. [Source: 972mag.com]

In the 1970s, such programs gained a new impetus, replacing or overlapping their predecessors, when Richard Nixon and his successors declared the so-called “War on Drugs,” whose battlefields extended internationally.

Latin America occupied a prominent place in this context, as it is home to key countries involved in the production and transit of many of the illegal drugs that are consumed in the U.S. Brazil was a recipient of police assistance throughout this period, initially seen as a focus for insurgent groups and, later, as a route for international cocaine trafficking. Since then, other “threats,” such as terrorism, money laundering and corruption have also been added to the list.

Since then, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was established and has also maintained close ties with Federal Police agents through its offices in Brasília, São Paulo and, more recently, Rio de Janeiro.

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The DEA has operated extensively in Brazil. [Source: bostonglobe.com]

For a long time, the drug enforcement agenda guided the cooperation between American and Brazilian police forces. Through this partnership, the FBI and DEA were able to transfer resources and technology to train Brazilian police, finance and propose joint operations, as well as influence the formulation of laws and public policies aimed at combating drugs.

Progressively, though, other issues have taken center stage in the concerns of U.S. law enforcement in Brazil, such as terrorism, money laundering and corruption, as evidenced by the Car Wash case.

Policing the world
The ability of U.S. agencies, such as the FBI, to disseminate their knowledge and guidelines was related to the development of prestige in relation to the Federal Police and a transnational network of policing at a global level. The dialogues show that Brazilian police officers felt honored by the proximity of the FBI agents.

A striking point is the informality that characterizes these relationships. During the Car Wash operation, joint investigations, exchange of evidence, and extradition requests did not go through the Ministry of Justice, partly due to the mistrust that both institutions had of the Dilma Rousseff government.

It can be observed that the relationship established between the agencies of both countries goes beyond the terms provided by international agreements. As part of this informality, access to information about the activities of U.S. law enforcement agencies in Brazil is very restricted, as the report attests. This kind of external interference bypasses government control mechanisms and, therefore, strains the sovereignty of the State itself, while at the same time being stimulated and promoted by the state agencies themselves, such as the Federal Police.

“Vaza Jato” investigations mention an event organized in 2018 by a law firm in São Paulo, CKR Law, where Brazilian and U.S. police agents were present to discuss corruption investigations in Brazil. The goal was to build communication channels that could exist parallel to governmental relations.

Thus, there is a flow of transnational relationships between U.S. and Brazilian agents, both public and private, that establish networks of trust from which they share knowledge, technology and resources. These collaborations are not exempt from hierarchies and power dynamics. The political, economic, technological resources and prestige that can be mobilized by the FBI make it a leading force in this process. It is the U.S. agencies that offer resources and knowledge to Brazilian institutions, not the other way around.

That also highlights the modus operandi of U.S. law enforcement agencies in foreign countries. Conferences, events and training sessions aid not only in the transfer of knowledge but also in the establishment of intimate and trusted networks of relationships between justice agents from both countries. There is a deliberate effort to build trust with Brazilian authorities, creating a direct channel between the police forces through which they can influence police work, investigations, law formulation and public policies.

That episode raises a series of fundamental questions for society by revealing that policing extends beyond territorial and national boundaries. The definition of agendas, objectives and strategies in the field of security and justice, the design of laws, police conduct and technologies, and the conduct of investigations are aspects defined transnationally without transparent debate in society or even within the government.

In this case, the operation had a significant impact on Brazilian politics, weakening democratic mechanisms, strengthening the rise of the far right, and causing immeasurable damage to the national economy.

What is the future of these investigations? What are the implications for the relationship between President Lula and the United States? The debate is still open, and we will continue to see its results in the coming years.

https://covertactionmagazine.com/2023/0 ... l-history/
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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Re: Brazil

Post by blindpig » Sat Jul 01, 2023 2:45 pm

Bolsonaro ruled politically ineligible for eight years

Ministers in the Superior Electoral Court condemned the former president for abuse of political power and misuse of the media

June 30, 2023 by Caroline Oliveira

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Jair Bolsonaro was judged because of the meeting with ambassadors to favor himself in the electoral process last year - Mauro Pimentel/AFP

The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) formed a majority to make former president Jair Bolsonaro ineligible to run for presidential office again for eight years, on June 30, with the votes of ministers Benedito Gonçalves, Floriano de Azevedo Marques, André Ramos Tavares and the vice-president of the TSE, minister Cármen Lúcia.

Until now, Raul Araújo was the only minister to vote in favor of the former president. The decisive vote for ineligibility was declared this Friday by Carmen Lúcia. “Right away, with all the respects of the eminent minister Raul Araújo, I announce to your excellence and the ministers that I am accompanying the reporting minister for the partial origin, with the application of the sanction of ineligibility to the first investigated, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, and declaring unfounded the request in relation to the second investigated, Walter Souza Braga Netto,” said the minister.

“There were scathing complaints against the Judicial Branch, the disqualification of the Judicial Branch. A deliberate attack with exposure of facts that had already been refuted. The attacks on the Judicial Branch took place with the appointment of some ministers, such as Luís Roberto Barroso, Edson Fachin and also on your Excellency [Alexandre de Moraes] in an extremely serious and forceful way.”

Cármen Lúcia also said that “criticism is part of it, what cannot happen is a public servant, and a public event, within a public space, with disclosure by the EBC (Empresa Brasileira de Comunicação) and the official social networks to make attacks against ministers of the Supreme Court as if it were not affecting the institution itself, and there is no democracy without an independent Judicial Branch.”

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Minister Cármen Lúcia / Alejandro Zambrana/Secom/TSE

Bolsonaro was accused of abuse of political power and misuse of the media by the Democratic Labor Party (PDT) for using the public apparatus to favor himself in last year’s electoral process. What motivated the action was Bolsonaro’s meeting with ambassadors from foreign countries at Palácio da Alvorada, on July 18, 2022, as well as its wide dissemination, by TV Brasil and its social networks.

Ministers Kassio Nunes Marques and the president of the TSE, Alexandre de Moraes, are still voting. The expectation among Bolsonaro supporters is that Nunes Marques will make a request for a review, that is, ask for more time to analyze the case.

Marques, however, has already stated that an inclination to request a review is “pure speculation”, in an interview with UOL. “I have never discussed this matter with anyone. Pure speculation,” he declared. Finally, Alexandre de Moraes, president of the Superior Electoral Court, votes. His vote may be the fifth in favor of ineligibility.

Votes in favor of ineligibility
Rapporteur Benedito Gonçalves stated in his vote, expressed on Tuesday, June 27, that the Superior Electoral Court “will remain firm in its duty, as the highest body of electoral governance, to transmit truthful information and act to contain the dangerous spread of disinformation aimed at discrediting the democratic regime itself.”

“On merit, I partially uphold the request, to condemn the first investigated, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, for the practice of abuse of political power and misuse of media in the 2022 Elections and, due to his direct and personal responsibility for the unlawful act committed for the benefit of his candidacy for re-election to the position of President of the Republic, declare his ineligibility for eight years following the 2022 election,” said the rapporteur.

Floriano de Azevedo Marques, the second to vote for Bolsonaro’s ineligibility, on June 29, said that the coup draft, the weekly live broadcasts, the testimonials about the context of the broadcasts and the press interviews are “marginal for the analysis of the facts.” The minister stated that “the serious challenges” to the electoral process that took place before and after the election, “although execrable,” are not necessary to configure abuse of power and misuse of purpose in the meeting with the ambassadors.

Azevedo highlighted that Bolsonaro’s speeches about the electoral process during the meeting, his presentation as a candidate for re-election and his expectations regarding the electoral result, with mobilization of public resources, are already enough to characterize abuse of power.

The minister pointed out that Bolsonaro had a clear objective of “gaining electoral advantage to the detriment of his competitors.” Azevedo also argued that the use of a public building for a different purpose for which it was intended—in this case, the Alvorada Palace—would be enough to characterize administrative impropriety, one of the predictions for ineligibility.

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Floriano de Azevedo Marques / Alejandro Zambrana/Secom/TSE

After Azevedo, on the same day, André Ramos Tavares was the third minister in favor of granting the ineligibility. The magistrate defended that the right to freedom of expression does not allow the propagation of lies. He also said that there was “unequivocal untruthfulness” with “harmful effects on democracy and on the electoral process.” “The aforementioned content is permeated by false statements and unequivocal attacks on opposing parties and ministers of the Federal Supreme Court and the Superior Electoral Court.”

Tavares also defended that it is “unfeasible” for the Superior Electoral Court to ignore the notorious facts circumscribed to the meeting with the ambassadors, which aimed to cause “severe disturbances” against democracy and the electoral process. “The candidacy benefited from a tactic that permeated the entire content of the speech given in the scope of the ceremony analyzed here, in order to stir up the electoral bases, in the sense of channeling votes to prevent any other candidate, more especially one of them, from winning in the 2022 elections, manipulating the polarization of society for the electoral benefit of the investigated person,” said Tavares.

“Regarding the electoral character, it is important to note that the classification of a certain typical act of the campaign does not necessarily require a request for a vote or exposure of projects. The electoral character of the event is verified based on the use of typical campaign tactics, more than that, a very specific tactic used by the investigated person.”

Votes against the loss of political right
Magistrate Raul Araújo voted against the ineligibility request, based on the defense of freedom of expression. “Any citizen can wish for a voting model different from the one in force in the country. All of this falls within the constitutional spectrum of freedom of expression,” said Araújo. “It is not all [Bolsonaro’s] speech that conveys untrue information, with positions in which the investigated only expressed his opinions, such as on the printed vote… Democracy will not flourish where freedom of expression is cut. ”

He also stated that it is necessary to measure “with prudence the need for intervention by the Electoral Court in the electoral process.” “Did the conduct analyzed affect the electoral process with such severity that it requires intervention by the Judicial Branch to ensure the prevalence of suffrage?” questioned Araújo. The magistrate also criticized the inclusion of the “draft of the coup” in the process, a document that would authorize Bolsonaro to declare a State of Defense in the headquarters of the Superior Electoral Court to reverse the result of last year’s presidential election. Araújo classified the draft as a “strange find” and said that “there is no informative element capable of sustaining, beyond conclusions, the existence of relations between the meeting and the draft of the decree.”

Benedito Gonçalves’s report
In the report, Minister Benedito Gonçalves argued that the statements made by Bolsonaro during the meeting were “harmful.” On the occasion, Bolsonaro “attacked the electoral justice and the electronic voting system,” which converged “with his campaign strategy” for re-election.

The meeting “should be analyzed as an element of the 2022 electoral campaign, endowed with sufficient gravity to affect the normality and legitimacy of the elections and, thus, configure abuse of political power and misuse of the means of communication,” said Gonçalves during the reading of his report. According to the document, Bolsonaro questioned the integrity of the Brazilian electoral system at least 23 times in 2021 alone.

“The use of the functional status of President of the Republic to manifest a misuse of purpose by bringing together ambassadors from foreign countries and spreading fake news against the electoral process shapes the abuse of political power. The state apparatus was also used in favor of the candidacy, as the meeting was held at the Alvorada Palace and broadcast by TV Brasil linked to the public company,” said Gonçalves.

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Minister Benedito Gonçalves / Evaristo Sa/AFP

Walter Braga Netto, candidate for Vice-Presidency on the ticket with Bolsonaro, was also the target of the lawsuit. The military, however, did not become ineligible, since most magistrates followed the opinion of the Electoral Attorney General against punishing Braga Netto. The deputy electoral attorney general, Paulo Gonet, argued that there is no evidentiary framework of the participation of the candidate for vice president in the described behaviors.

“The Electoral Attorney General offered an opinion in which he opines for the partial validity of the action, so that only Jair Messias Bolsonaro is declared ineligible due to abuse of political power and misuse of the media, and for the acquittal of the candidate for Vice-President who has no involvement in the case,” states the report on Gonet’s position.

Prosecution’s arguments
Walber de Moura Agra, the lawyer for the Democratic Labor Party, said that Bolsonaro promoted “accusations without any evidence for almost 50 minutes, with unreasonable allegations, trying to turn our nation into an international pariah,” in front of 40 ambassadors. “The Democratic Labor Party begs that all requests be accepted so that posterity can proudly affirm, at the top of its lungs, that in Brasilia there is still judgment.”

The lawyer argued that the meeting was just one of the tools in Bolsonaro’s strategic set in order to delegitimize the election. Add to this, for example, the draft of a coup decree found in the house of Anderson Torres.

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Walber de Moura Agra / Alejandro Zambrana/Secom/TSE

The draft was included in the case at the request of the Democratic Labor Party. The party argued that the draft would be an “embryo conceived with the intention of a coup d’état,” which contributes with “arguments that show the occurrence of abuse of political power tending to discredit this Electoral Justice and the electoral process, with the intention to alter the outcome of the election.”

By including the document, Benedito Gonçalves stated that the thesis presented by the party has “adherence,” “especially with regard to the correlation of the speech with the election and the quantitative aspect of gravity.” The speech, continued the minister, “did not only target the ambassadors, as it would be inserted in the campaign strategy of the first investigated to ‘mobilize his bases’ through knowingly false facts about the voting system.”

The defense stated in the case file that the draft could not be included in the process as evidence because it does not “truly constitute a ‘document’, since it is not signed, does not identify who produced it, does not present a recipient, as well as does not identify the effective intention and reality/materiality of its content”.

Bolsonaro’s defense arguments
In turn, Tarcísio Vieira de Carvalho Neto, defense attorney, argued that the imposition of fines would be more understandable than conviction with a penalty of ineligibility. “A meeting with ambassadors is a meeting with ambassadors. Is there life in a public building? There is life in public buildings. In what month? In July of the election year, elections in October. This does not translate into a factual basis susceptible to verification or electoral judicial investigation action,” argued Neto before the ministers, denying the electoral use of the meeting.

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Tarcísio Vieira de Carvalho Neto / Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil

“If the president jumped the gun in terms of propaganda, let the fine be applied. If the president misused a public building, let the fine under Article 73 of the Elections Law be applied. But the Democratic Labor Party, in a kind of electoral heat, like those skirmishes that precede the real fights, wanted for Aije [Electoral Judicial Investigation Action],” said Neto.

The lawyer also stated that the Democratic Labor Party made “improper use of the Electoral Justice as a way to catapult a tottering candidacy that never took off,” referring to Ciro Gomes’ campaign for the Presidency, which in the end obtained only 3.04% of the votes. “A flagrant misuse of purpose. An imposter’s action.”

Meeting with ambassadors
In his speech to the ambassadors, Bolsonaro reiterated accusations already rejected by the Superior Electoral Court. It stemmed from an investigation opened by the Federal Police in 2018 about an attempt by a hacker to invade the court system. The Court has already clarified that this access was blocked and had no interference in the outcome of the elections. Among the lies told by the then president during the meeting, Bolsonaro told the ambassadors that the electoral system is not auditable.

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Jair Bolsonaro at the meeting with ambassadors/ Clauber Cleber Caetano/PR

“We cannot face another election, under the cover of mistrust. We have to be sure that a voter’s vote goes to that person,” Bolsonaro said at the time. “When we talk about elections, transparency comes to mind. And Mr. Barroso [Luís Roberto Barroso, magistrate of the Federal Supreme Court], as well as Mr. Edson Fachin [then President of the Superior Electoral Court], began to go around the world criticizing me, as if I were preparing a coup. It is exactly the opposite of what is happening,” Bolsonaro accused.

The former president also directly attacked the ministers of the Federal Supreme Court. “They accuse me of attacking elections and democracy. It is the Superior Electoral Court itself that does this… We see clearly, Minister Fachin was the one who made Lula eligible, and now he is president of the Superior Electoral Court. Minister Barroso was a lawyer for the terrorist Battisti who was welcomed here by President Lula in December of 2010. Minister Alexandre de Moraes has advocated in the past for groups that, if I were a lawyer, I would never advocate,” insinuated Bolsonaro.

This article was originally published on Brasil de Fato.

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/06/30/ ... ght-years/
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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