A Change in Brazilian Foreign Policy for the Amazon?
By: Joana Perrone
Since the summer, debates around the question of the protection of the Amazon forest have been at the centre of the international stage. Following the influx of news regarding the fires raging in the region and the heated debate between Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro and French president Emmanuel Macron, the question of the Amazon has gained new weight in a scenario characterised by the climate strikes and the rise of new discussions on environmentalism in international forums.
There is unprecedented scrutiny over Brazil’s new government. Defenders of the current administration have tried to highlight the mistakes of previous governments regarding the environmental agenda. In 2014, geographer and environmentalist Mário Montovani stated that Dilma Roussef’s government from 2010–2014 had been terrible for environmental protection, having given many subsidies for agro-business (Mendonça, 2014). Before that, in 2012, a public letter that was organised by several NGOs was sent to the federal government, complaining about proposed changes to environmental legislation.
However, it would be an oversight to ignore the ways in which the Bolsonaro government has changed policy regarding the Amazon rainforest and environmental protection more broadly. Such changes were most notably present in the country’s foreign policy, and therefore directly impacting Brazil’s image in the international scenario.
During his opening speech in the UN General Assembly, president Bolsonaro maintained a combative tone against what he has portrayed both as international intervention in Brazilian internal affairs and as a misguided media narrative.
“It is a fallacy to say that the Amazon is the heritage of humanity and a misconception, as scientists say, to say our forest is the lungs of the world. Availing themselves of such fallacies, one or another country, instead of assisting, fell in with the press’s lies and behaved disrespectfully, with a colonialist spirit. They questioned that which is most sacred to us: our sovereignty!”
This speech reveals much of what is Brazil’s new tone towards the Amazon rainforest; framing the issue as one of national sovereignty. This is not new in Brazilian foreign policy—it was one of the main tenets of the military’s regime (1964–1988) understanding of the region. It was also characterised by a nationalist rhetoric of development that emphasised the need to use natural resources to achieve economic gains. While since re-democratisation this discourse was replaced by a more environmental-friendly one, a 1997 CIA report states that the military still saw with distrust the role of NGOs and international treaties, considering them to be potential threats to national sovereignty (Costa, 2019). With the ascension of a government that has more sympathy for the military, it is unsurprising to see that this discourse has returned to Brazilian foreign policy.
In the same General Assembly speech, the Brazilian president criticised Cacique Raoni, who is nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his environmental work in Brazil, maintaining the narrative of foreign interference,
“The views of one indigenous leader do not represent those of all Brazilian Indians. Many times, some of these leaders, such as Cacique Raoni, are used as pawns by foreign governments in their informational war to advance their interests in the Amazon.”
and once directly named other countries, highlighting what he considers an inability of the former to maintain their own environmental promises.
“We cannot forget that the world must be fed. France and Germany, for instance, use more than 50% of their territories for agriculture, while Brazil uses merely 8% of its lands for the production of food—61% of our territory is preserved.”
These declarations maintain the overall defiant tone. They highlight how Brazil aims to understand environmental policies, and particularly imply that the country has the right to use its own natural resources to grow. The use of such narratives characterises a shift in Brazilian foreign policy which was already hinted at when the country stated it would no longer host the United Nations Climate Change Conference (which will now be held in Chile). While there is evidence to suggest that previous governments in the country were also having issues with implementing effective environmental policies, by changing the discourse, the new government emphasises that environmental concerns might not be their main agenda.
By emphasising that environmental policies are considered to be embedded in sovereignty concerns, and by alluding to exploration for growth, Bolsonaro’s speech at the UN seems to mark a new environmental foreign policy for the country. This shift can signify much bigger changes for the country and even the region, as Brazil has historically been a diplomatic force in Latin America.
Economically, it has already potentially upset the EU-Mercosur trade deal, with Austria being expected to veto it over concerns regarding the Amazon fires (Oltermann, 2019). Politically, it has caused some ill-will between presidents Bolsonaro and Macron, as well as causing many news sources to comment on the nationalist tone of the new government (BBC News, 2019; Waldron and Kaufman, 2019). By bringing back the rhetoric of sovereignty of the 60s and 70s, Bolsonaro’s government has drastically altered Brazilian diplomatic history, and has realigned itself in the international scenario.
Resources used:
BBC News, “Amazon Rainforest belongs to Brazil, says Jair Bolsonaro”, 24th September 2019. Available online at https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-49815731. Accessed 06 October 2019.
Costa, A. “As raízes da teoria da conspiração militar em torno da Amazônia”, Revista Época, 30th August 2019. Available online at https://epoca.globo.com/brasil/as-raizes-da-teoria-da-conspiracao-militar-em-torno-da-amazonia-23915550. Accessed 05 October 2019.
Itamaraty, 2019 “Speech by Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro at the Opening of the 74th UN General Assembly”. Available online at http://www.itamaraty.gov.br/en/speeches-articles-and-interviews/president-of-the-federative-republic-of-brazil-speeches/20896-speech-by-brazil-s-president-jair-bolsonaro-at-the-opening-of-the-74th-united-nations-general-assembly-new-york-september-24-2019-photo-alan-santos-pr. Accessed 02 October 2019.
Mendonça, R. “Gestão Dilma é a pior da história para o meio ambiente, diz ambientalista”, Folha de São Paulo, 19th January 2014. Available online at https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2014/01/1399512-governo-dilma-e-o-pior-da-historia-para-o-meio-ambiente-diz-ambientalista.shtml. Accessed 04 October 2019.
Oltermann, P. “Austria rejects EU-Mercosur trade deal over Amazon fires”, The Guardian, 19th September 2019. Available online at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/19/austria-rejects-eu-mercosur-trade-deal-over-amazon-fires. Accessed 04 October 2019.
Waldron, T. and Alexander C. Kaufman, “Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro defends deforestation: ‘The Amazon is not being devastated’” HuffPost, 24th September 2019. Available online https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bolsonaro-un_n_5d8a2989e4b0c2a85cb1ac8c. Accessed 04 October 2019.