Brazil Ponders What to Do in Face of Obama and World Crisis

US president Barack Obama The new United States administration and the world economic crisis prompt more questions than answers. This was one of the consensuses reached at the 3rd National Conference on Foreign Policy and International Politics, held this Monday, December 8, in Rio de Janeiro under the theme Brazil in the World that is Coming.

Scholars and diplomats discussed priority issues concerning the international scenario and Brazilian foreign policy in the face of Barack Obama's election to the presidency of the United States. It was also a consensus that the duration and depth of this financial crisis, which originated precisely in the US, is uncertain.

All participants agreed, although not on all points, that the change in the United States government was a positive one and that, with Obama at the helm, it is showing greater willingness to dialogue and strengthen international institutions, and also to adopt a less one-sided, more negotiation-oriented stance.

The Brazilian ambassador to the US, Antonio Patriota, believes that the president-elect is going to be more open to multilateral cooperation with Brazil in some topics that were met with indifference by the current US administration. "Especially in the areas of climate change and fighting poverty," he said.

Obama's statement on the shutting down of Guantanamo was praised by some of the participants, as they believe that it signals that the president-elect is going to show greater respect for international law.

The Professor at the Institute of Advanced Studies at the University of São Paulo (USP), Gilberto Dupas, warned, however, that people should not expect too much from the future US president.

"It is very unlikely that Obama will change the essential logic that underlies the structure of power in the United Sates, the defense and domestic policies. I believe that the expectations surrounding him must be kept in perspective," he asserted.

On the other hand, Dupas believes that the quest for relative consensuses creates a vacuum that enables greater participation to Brazil, which, according to him, has a vocation for bringing about consensus.

To the secretary general at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Trade, ambassador Pinheiro Guimarães, the current outlook calls for greater articulation between Brazil and the "large developing States, such as China, India and Argentina, among others."

According to him, it is also important for the country to maintain its investment levels and reaffirm the Brazilian industrial potential.

"Industry is crucial, due to the very distribution of the population in Brazil. Around 85% of people live in the cities, and the country cannot base its economic development on agriculture alone. Now is the time for adding value to the Brazilian economy."

ABr

Tags:

You May Also Like

Brazilian Thoroubred’s Semen Goes to the UAE Royal Family and the U.S.

The semen of the Brazilian horse RSC El Deb Haran will be exported to ...

Brazil to Say ‘No, Thanks’ to US

Brazilian President Luiz In¶cio Lula da Silva will veto a proposal being discussed in ...

67% of Brazilians Never Surfed the Internet, 54% Never Used a Computer

A study prepared by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee released yesterday, November 8. shows ...

Federal Dental Program Caring for 60 Million Brazilians

Brazil’s Ministry of Health’s Buccal Health program, which now has a total of 10,240 ...

Brazilian Indian Week to Stress Solidarity

The Indigenous Peoples’ Week, which is celebrated every year by the Brazilian Indianist Missionary ...

North Korea’s Foreign Minister in Brazil for Talks

The Foreign Affairs minister of North Korea, Pak Ui-Chun, is in Brazil where he ...

The Brazilian Farce: Celebrating World’s Most Miserable 6th Largest Economy

Having gone through the year-end celebrations we were left with the feeling that 2011, ...

Brazil’s Ethics Council Draws Lots to Start Processes Against Congressmen

The Council of Ethics and Parliamentary Decorum of the Chamber of Deputies concluded the ...

FIFA Now Says Russia Will Have a Very High Bar, After Brazil

FIFA’s president Sepp Blatter has praised a “very special World Cup” in Brazil and ...

Brazilians Approve Government Work on Hunger, But Not on Jobs

The latest CNI (National Industrial Confederation) opinion poll in Brazil has found that Brazilians ...