MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Brazilian influential newspaper blasts “Dilma’s anti-diplomacy”
Brazil’s influential newspaper O Estado de Sao Paulo blasted Brazilian foreign policy and its handling of the Paraguayan political crisis. In an opinion column under the heading “Dilma’s anti-diplomacy” the newspaper argues that the current administration is politicizing foreign policy, the same way that her predecessor, Lula da Silva. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesThe Paraguay fiasco has damaged Brazil's equilibrium diplomatically and shown Brazil to be 'not' as mature a nation as we had come to believe.
Jul 25th, 2012 - 08:33 am - Link - Report abuse 0As a result, Mercosur was also weakened.
You are either a fair-playing, dependable partner internationally, or not! there is no middle ground.
Yes, I was very hopeful that Rousseff was a change to the old guard and for a while it did look that way until things turned down economically that is.
Jul 25th, 2012 - 01:46 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Whether she is rattled or, let us hope this is NOT the case, she is using her idiosyncrasies in the same way as The Mad Bitch Of Argentina.
The agreement with Angola was a puzzle and still vexes me as to what is going on in Brasil.
Dilma is a great woman and smart strategist. The move to get Paraguay from being a thorn and obtacle to mercosur was executed with surgical precision. The integration of Venezuela to the trade block will bring billions more then trading with Paraguay, let's hope Paraguay can be invited as observers without voting power to keep them from becoming an obstacle to the trade block as they have being for many years. Que viva Dilma!!!.
Jul 25th, 2012 - 03:13 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Pirat-Hunter, far from being a move that was executed with surgical precision, it was a clumsy move that exposed the deep hypocrisy of Mercosur for all to see and ridicule.
Jul 25th, 2012 - 04:37 pm - Link - Report abuse 0#4 lol mercosur invited Venezuela Paraguay became a thorn and presto brazil fixed it with a diplomatic invitation to Venezuela while Paraguay was suspended from mercosur, 100% surgical. UN, UK, NATO, WTO, IMF, HRW and WHO are all bias and hypocrites, I wouldn't expect better from mercosur I am sure we are all following the lead. Besides you never see any of the groups I mentioned feeling ridicule so neither do we. Lol
Jul 25th, 2012 - 11:28 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“It seemed that Dilma was prepared to...join sides with the civilized world”
Jul 25th, 2012 - 11:38 pm - Link - Report abuse 0ANd she has, by opposing the coup!
The ESP's piece is so formulaic. Considering its defense of “democracy” in Tehran - to say nothing of its incessant warmongering agitprop for Western intervention in the Middle East - it is very hypocritical that it thinks Paraguay's unconstitutional regime change should go unchallenged, even by diplomatic venues.
Jul 26th, 2012 - 12:41 am - Link - Report abuse 0Moreover The Estado de S. Paulo is speaking from its own particular viewpoint, that of a right-wing, über Catholic outlet with deep connections with both the financial markets and the industrialist lobby. It no doubt sees as beneficial not only the coup against Lugo, an adherent to the Vatican-opposed Liberation theology, but also undisturbed relations with the government of Paraguay, not matter how undemocratic it is, due to Brazilian economic presence in the country.
'It is even better to act quickly and err than to hesitate until the time of action is past.' (Karl Von Clausewitz)
Jul 26th, 2012 - 04:16 pm - Link - Report abuse 0OK, Dilma and others may have orchestrated the Paraguay/Venezuela/Mercosur sequence, but it was swiftly conducted and it achieved their desired outcome. Political 'blood was spilt' but there was no killings or genocide this time.
Dilma plays to her own strengths and in her own style, working with the power of her office to set up her country and the Continent in the Leftist image she honed in her earlier revolutionary years.
She may prove to be the inheritor of Chavez's Bolivarian Revolution, but she may be ousted by Lula at the next presidential election.
If ousted, where does she go from there? ... UN General Secretary? This would certainly give scale to her vision for a Leftist world.
@8:
Jul 26th, 2012 - 05:39 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Why the hell do you think a leftist world is a laudable goal? You should know by now that individual rights are incompatible with it. Brazil has just missed a great opportunity to enhance its moral status.
LOL anti diplomatic Dilma??? What are this turds talking about??
Jul 26th, 2012 - 09:40 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I am sure you have to be an outstanding diplomat to have paraguay bared from voting and at the same time fast track Venezuela into the trade block. I wonder how much cash this newspaper got to print such a fake report. It's not out of character to Have newspaper print lies for money aren't they in the business of advertising for cash???
#8 “If ousted, where does she go from there? ... UN General Secretary? This would certainly give scale to her vision for a Leftist world”
Jul 27th, 2012 - 12:15 am - Link - Report abuse 0Now theres an idea =) Of course if Lula doesn't come back maybe Cristina could take the UN job?
#11 that will be the day, I would love to see Cristina or Dilma as secretary of the UN.
Jul 27th, 2012 - 12:34 am - Link - Report abuse 0The whole objective of the actual leadership of Brazil Argentina Uruguay are the advancement of a failed ideology with the brilliant and surgical move of Dilma Brazil sent a message to the world “Hugo Chaves is in charge”
Jul 28th, 2012 - 12:38 pm - Link - Report abuse 0So we judge Paraguay political trial as legal trial and they insert legal venues to exclude Paraguay with and ideological argument ha!
I will look very careful coming from another trading block doing business with mercosur they have no respect for rules
“Why the hell do you think a leftist world is a laudable goal?
Jul 29th, 2012 - 09:47 am - Link - Report abuse 0You should know by now that individual rights are incompatible with it.
Brazil has just missed a great opportunity to enhance its moral status.” ljordao (#9)
You misjudge me, ljordao. If you were a regular contributor you would know my position. My wry comment is no validation of the behaviour of these states, though, it must be said, it was just a matter of time as the Left in these Mercosur countries wanted Venezuela IN. Dilma with enthusiasm; Mujica with reservations.
The Mercosur presidents had to break the Paraguayan log-jam as soon as possible to enable Chavez to have a decisive leadership over policy before his cancers put him beyond the possibility. They *made* the opportunity in a typical South American fashion.
It is a historical truth that CFK is not a left-wing ex-revolutionary - like the Brasilian or Uruguay or Venezuela leadership and teams;
in fact she more in common with the new putsch team in Paraguay.
CFK's reasons are not idealogical, they are for the maintenance of power. The same is true of her team, especially Timerman ... all pragmatists willing to bend the truths to serve the pragmatic cause - the maintenance of power.
You might wonder how Dilma squares revolutionary ideals with developing a First World, Western-style trading democracy. Dilma, like presidents before her, has addressed her dilemma by 're-distributing' trading income and taxes to the poor, her voting-base that keeps her in power. This is how most of South America 'keeps left'.
#14 Your are absolutely on target, the mercosur will be a great propaganda stage for the Chavez regime associated with democratic countries like Iran , oh Chavez he just pulled out of the human right organization!
Jul 29th, 2012 - 12:28 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
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