Snooker is the only word. Actually, it’s a double snooker. Brazil has applied the coup de grace to Acting Head of Government Micheletti. He can yell and scream and jump up and down and tear-gas the demonstrators, but…he’s been snookered.
No other government on the planet dare pay attention to what he or his henchmen say, because he is not the legitimate ruler of Honduras. The legitimate ruler of Honduras is now safely ensconced in the Brazilian Embassy: Snooker.
Of course, just to make sure it’s not too triumphalist about its [by now fairly obvious] meddling in the affairs of another country, Brazil has already told President Zelaya to get off the balcony, lie down, take a nap, stay under the radar. So the paparazzi dutifully show him snoozing: Snooker.
Sources claim there are over 300 non-Brazilian people in the Embassy. What? Just how did 300 “subversives” trek to an Embassy in the middle of the capitol city without being noticed and halted by the forces of law and order?
Somebody orchestrated this and did it magnificently – no muss, no fuss; no fret, no sweat. The message to the world is: “Put your money where your mouth is!” meaning “Was it a coup or not?” If it was, “Why aren’t you doing something about this?” Snooker.
Some Brazilian commentators profess to worry about the US/Brazil relationship, on the assumption that Brazil’s putative impending hegemony over Latin America is a threat to the US.
Under this reasoning, contrary to what Lula supposedly envisaged, Brazil has just ensured it will NOT get a permanent place on the UN Security Council – the US will veto its rival.
But if it does exercise the veto, because Brazil dared what the US dared not, in its own back yard, how does that look on the world stage? Snooker.
Michael Royster is a US citizen, resident in Rio for over 30 years and a practicing, fully-licensed Brazilian lawyer.
