Flaviopédia Português
Brazil that Grows

Sovereignty with professionalism, not with ideology

sovereignty is exercised in practice, not in speeches

Proposes a foreign policy guided by professionalism and pragmatism, with the foreign ministry (Itamaraty) run on technical competence and negotiation with all of the country's partners of commercial interest.

In the program: [p. 61, 62] · Translated by Flaviopédia from the official Portuguese text; the Portuguese quote is authoritative. Read the original in Portuguese

What the program says

Sovereignty is a nation’s capacity to govern itself, make its laws and take care of its territory. It is exercised in practice, with concrete actions, and not by repeating the word “sovereignty” all the time. In recent years, Brazilian foreign policy traded the national interest for ideology, protecting regimes prone to terror and their criminals. And sovereignty does not begin far away, it begins at home. It is of no use for a country to raise its voice against distant enemies if it does not protect its own citizens on the corner near their home, from the robber, from the drug dealer, from the fear that takes away the freedom to walk down the street. Brazilians want to live in peace in their neighborhood and in their city, and guaranteeing that peace is the priority of Brazil without Fear. A country only makes itself respected in the world when it protects its own people first, and those who do not guarantee security here at home have no authority to speak of sovereignty abroad. The government received with honors the Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, who defrauded the electoral process and was arrested for drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. Lula authorized Iranian warships to dock in Brazilian ports, despite the opposing position of historic partners, and the following year sent the Vice President of the Republic to the inauguration of a leader of the Iranian regime, which was marked by the absence of Western democratic leaders. In its luggage, the Brazilian government brought back an emblematic photo alongside terrorist leaders, killed a few days later. Plenty of ideological alignment, no return for Brazil: no trade, no investment, no respect. Our proposal is the opposite: a diplomacy guided by professionalism and pragmatism, not by ideology. Itamaraty (the foreign ministry) will once again be run with the technical competence that has always marked its staff, and Brazil will once again favor partners interested in the mutual gains of trade, without choosing friends by ideological affinity. We will not treat our most important and traditional partners as adversaries. In recent years, relations with countries such as Argentina, the United States and Israel were taken to the brink of rupture. We will reverse this situation with professionalism and a focus on Brazil’s interest. We will negotiate with all those that matter to Brazil, from China to the European Union, from the United States to the Asian markets, because what guides our diplomacy is the interest of Brazilian producers and workers, not sympathy or antipathy toward this or that government. Truly defending sovereignty is not making speeches: it is opening markets for those who produce here, attracting investment and ensuring that Brazil is respected for its economic strength and its seriousness, not for bravado. [p. 61, 62]

In plain language

  • The text defines sovereignty as a nation’s capacity to govern itself and states that it begins with the safety of citizens, the subject of Brazil without Fear.
  • It states that foreign policy in recent years traded the national interest for ideology and cites as examples the reception given to Nicolás Maduro, the authorization for Iranian warships to dock in Brazilian ports and the sending of the vice president to the inauguration of an Iranian leader.
  • It proposes a diplomacy guided by professionalism and pragmatism: Itamaraty would once again be run on technical competence, and the country would favor partners interested in the mutual gains of trade, without choosing them by ideological affinity.
  • It provides for reversing the state of relations with Argentina, the United States and Israel, which the text states reached the brink of rupture, and negotiating with all those that matter to Brazil, from China to the European Union, from the United States to the Asian markets.

What is not in the program

  • It does not detail concrete measures for relations with Argentina, the United States and Israel.
  • It does not define appointment criteria at Itamaraty or how technical competence would be assessed.
  • It does not name trade agreements or set trade and investment targets.