During Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's first stint as Brazil's president between 2003 and 2010, he conducted what was then called 'active and upstanding diplomacy.' This meant not seeing Brazil as a peripheral actor on the global stage and fighting for a more egalitarian balance of power in international relations.
Lula defended a world order that was not so U.S.-centric and invested heavily in South-South relations.
Back in power for a third term, Lula still defends the same principles, but the geopolitical conditions are different this time around. The U.S.-China decoupling and the war in Ukraine make it much harder for countries to navigate between global superpowers in a position of total neutrality, with which Brazil has always been comfortable.
This is especially true when a president is constantly throwing barbs at one side of the conflict.
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In this episode:
Cedê Silva is The Brazilian Report's Brasília correspondent. In addition to his journalism degree, Cedê holds a BA in international relations and covers Brazilian politics and international affairs.
