Making sense of United States–Brazil relations under Bolsonaro
Political alignment with the United States became an essential aspect of Brazilian foreign policy once Jair Bolsonaro came to power in Brazil. While close ties to Washington had already been established since the interregnum period of the Temer government, far‐right ideological synergies between Bol...
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| Published in: | Latin American policy Vol. 13; no. 2; pp. 432 - 446 |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Monterrey
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
01-11-2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Political alignment with the United States became an essential aspect of Brazilian foreign policy once Jair Bolsonaro came to power in Brazil. While close ties to Washington had already been established since the interregnum period of the Temer government, far‐right ideological synergies between Bolsonaro and Donald Trump became more highly visible. A common anticommunism stance inter‐linked with antiglobalism reflected commonalities in regional politics and a pronounced strengthening of defense and security ties. Yet, Bolsonaro–Trump common worldviews did not spill over in Brazilian international economics. While political relations with the United States took on major importance, Brazil's investment and trade ties with China were maintained and even expanded. This article focuses on Brazil–United States relations during the Bolsonaro–Trump years. To make sense of this link, two elucidatory paths are drawn—a comparative historical overview that traces previous moments of bilateral ideological synergies to evaluate the exceptional character of Bolsonaro–Trump bilateralism; and contextualization within the process of redistribution of world power intertwined with the rise of China, which has deeply affected the leadership capacity of the United States.
Resumen
El alineamiento político a Estados Unidos se tornó un aspecto esencial de la política exterior de Brasil a partir de la llegada de Jair Bolsonaro al poder. Si bien los vínculos cercanos a Washington ya habían empezado durante el interregno del gobierno Temer, las sinergias de extrema derecha entre Bolsonaro y Donald Trump ganaron una visibilidad especial. El anticomunismo compartido se articuló con el antiglobalismo sumados a las coincidencias en política regional y un fortalecimiento pronunciado de los lazos en defensa y seguridad. Sin embargo, las visiones del mundo comunes entre Bolsonaro y Trump no encajaron bien con la inserción económica internacional de Brasil. Mientras que las relaciones políticas con Estados Unidos cobraron una importancia contundente, los vínculos comerciales y de inversiones con China no solo se mantuvieron, sino que también se expandieron. Este artículo se enfoca en las relaciones Brasil–Estados Unidos durante los años Bolsonaro–Trump. Por un lado, se hará una revisión histórico‐comparativa que identifica momentos previos de sinergia ideológica para comprender el carácter excepcional del bilateralismo de Bolsonaro con Trump; por el otro, se contextualizará dicha relación en el proceso de redistribución del poder mundial articulado con el ascenso de China, lo que afectó profundamente la capacidad de liderazgo de Estados Unidos. |
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| ISSN: | 2041-7365 2041-7373 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/lamp.12273 |