Biden’s proposal for the Amazon and why it angered Bolsonaro

The Brazilian also used the UN summit on biodiversity to counter the American and spoke of “international greed” for the Amazon.

Environment Minister Ricardo Salles scoffed at the proposal and questioned whether the amount of aid would be annual.

Understand Biden’s proposal and why it infuriated the Brazilian president.

The fact that Democratic candidate Joe Biden raises the issue of high rates of deforestation and fires in the Brazilian Amazon reflects the West’s growing attention to global warming and environmental issues, explains Oliver Stuenkel, professor of international relations at the Getúlio Foundation. Vargas (FGV).

The destruction of the forest has generated, since last year, great international concern.

Brazil has already received external financial assistance to create programs to combat deforestation and preserve the forest, such as the Amazon Fund, launched in 2008 as the largest project in the history of international cooperation for forest preservation.

The fund was financed mainly by Norway and Germany, which announced in 2019 the suspension of transfers due to the increase in deforestation and the environmental policy of the Bolsonaro government.

“An election of Biden could lead the United States to adopt a position towards Brazil more similar to that of Europe, where there is a movement so that the trade agreement (with Mercosur) is conditioned on the non-destruction of the Amazon. It is a reflection of the growing concern for the environment in Western politics, “says Stuenkel.

“The United States could take a tougher stance against the Bolsonaro government, which is now seen as a major global environmental villain.”

Bolsonaro reacted to Biden’s speech saying that “Brazil has changed. Today its president, unlike the left, no longer accepts bribes, criminal demarcations or unfounded threats.”

“Our sovereignty is non-negotiable,” Bolsonaro added, also citing alleged “international greed for the Amazon.”

Biden’s proposal to organize financing for Brazil never questioned Brazilian sovereignty, says Stuenkel. “The idea that there are groups that want to ‘steal the Amazon’ is old in some groups, but it is something that does not exist. It is something that in international relations we call ‘paranoia of the Amazon’ ”, she says.

“It is part of this narrative that Brazil is isolated and that there is a group out there that wants to destroy it. It is a speech that there is an ‘external enemy’, which was even used by the military dictatorship, and which is convenient for the Bolsonaro government, because it can justify all kinds of exceptional measures. “

Political analyst Creomar de Souza, CEO of political risk consultancy Dharma, agrees with Stuenkel’s assessment and also says that the sovereignty citation and the claim that “this presidency is not subordinate” is “extremely contradictory given the position of the Bolsonaro government “. in relation to the United States “.

Recently, a video of President Bolsonaro was released at the World Economic Forum saying that former US Vice President Al Gore wanted to “explore the resources of the Amazon with the United States,” to which Gore replies that he did not understand.

At the UN biodiversity summit, Bolsonaro again cited the idea of ​​”international greed” for the Brazilian biome, saying that his government is fighting deforestation and “problems that favor organizations that, in association with some NGOs, command crimes environmental in Brazil. Brazil and abroad “.

The president has repeatedly made the claim that the fires are started by NGOs, without presenting any evidence.

However, Stuenkel also claims that Bolsonaro’s “quite aggressive and defensive” reaction is much less related to Biden’s proposal itself and much more an attempt to maintain support at his base.

“It has nothing to do with sovereignty, it is about involving voters,” says the professor of international relations.

“This reaction generates a lot of support among its more radical followers and among a part of the electorate that has a direct interest in this deregulation of the environment, such as squatters, loggers, etc.”, says Stuenkel.

“For now, the cost of international pressure is less than giving up the support of this internal group,” says Stuenkel.

Creomar de Souza assures that “Bolsonaro’s foreign policy position is not directly concerned with foreign policy, but rather with the interest in creating a continuous electoral platform.

“That is to say, he always wants to involve and rescue the support of his electorate. You can see how he wants to please his typical elector by comparing it with other moments in history, with other governments, to name the left,” says Souza.

To some extent, says Creomar de Souza, Biden’s speech follows the same logic as Bolsonaro’s when addressing internal voters.

He says the entire debate “was aimed at appealing to Democratic voters’ concerns about the environment and encouraging them to come out of the chamber to vote”; voting is not mandatory in the United States.

Despite President Bolsonaro’s strong rhetoric against Biden, recently Brazil’s ambassador to Washington, Nestor Forster Junior, said that regardless of who wins, Brazil will continue to maintain good relations with the country.

A pragmatic and not-so-hostile relationship between countries even with Biden’s victory is possible, says Stuenkel, but may be complicated by Bolsonaro’s relationship with Trump.

“Although a Biden victory will lead to a tougher stance, it may not be as tough as the European one, as Biden’s biggest concern is China’s growing influence on the mainland and not on the environment, and the government. Bolsonaro is seen as a possible ally to contain this influence, “says Stuenkel.

“However, Bolsonaro and Trump are sure to stay in touch, and having a Brazilian president actively supporting the opposition in the United States can complicate Biden’s attempt to have a pragmatic relationship with Brazil.”

Stuenkel says another variable is the Bolsonaro government’s assessment of whether it is worth “doubling down on the stakes” and continuing the defensive rhetoric in the face of possible mounting international pressure.

“If Biden wins and makes an alliance with Europe to push for environmental preservation, the cost of external pressure (for Bolsonaro) may outweigh the rhetorical gain among his most loyal voters,” he says.