Lula wants to count on the international scene by promoting the global South and non-alignment
Lula wants to count on the international scene through ambitious diplomacy, marred by controversial statements
The Brazilian leader fears the return to the White House of Donald Trump, re-elected on November 5, unlike his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), whose diplomacy was often aligned with that of his American counterpart. The prospect of renewed US protectionism could push Brazil further into the arms of China and into a posture of non-alignment with the West.
Since 2009, China has been Brazil’s largest trading partner. Today, it absorbs about 30% of its exports, compared to only 11% for the United States and 14% for the European Union (EU). Brasilia plans to adopt Chinese standards for new technologies and seal agreements in key sectors such as vaccines, artificial intelligence and telecommunications. It also plans to join the “new silk routes” promoted by President Xi Jinping.
Russia is an important partner of Brazil within the BRICS and an indispensable supplier of fertilizers for local agriculture. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Lula has adopted an ambiguous position, condemning the Russian invasion and blaming NATO. According to him, Moscow and Kyiv share the blame. He also refuses to apply sanctions against Russia.
Lula, a historical ally of the Chavista power in Venezuela, has long protected the legitimacy of Nicolás Maduro, president since 2013. But the latter’s disputed re-election in July has caused tensions between Brasilia and Caracas. In October, Lula vetoed Venezuela’s entry into BRICS+.
The Brazilian head of state approved, in 2024, the expansion of the BRICS to four new members, including Iran, Donald Trump’s bête noire. In addition to the Islamic Republic, the integration of Ethiopia and Egypt allows us to reconnect with a certain idea of “non-alignment” as it emerged in 1955 during the Bandung conference. Its ambition is to build another world, around the conception of a global South.
Invited to the African Union summit in Addis Ababa in February, Lula generated controversy by declaring that “What is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people has not happened at any other time in history. In fact, this already happened: when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”
