As I posted yesterday, Brazil is sending one of their astronauts into space on a Russian shuttle rather than partnering up with America in light of the 2003 Columbia disaster. However, that is only the tip of the presumably newly formed Russo-Brazilian strategic partnership. Google news has a dozen or so separate stories that illuminate all the ways these two powerhouses are working together. It’s a fascinating pairing as Russia attempts to reinvigorate the glory of the old Soviet days while Brazil is seeking to establish itself as a regional superpower in South America. In Russia and Brazil we’ve got something old and something new, now all we need is something used and something blue.
Speaking of something used and blue, the United Nations has been talking about reform, specifically within the Security Council. One of UN Ambassador John Bolton’s jobs (other than planning a war in Iran) was to facilitate rudimentary changes in how the UN operates. Ostensibly his job was to get the UN to be less hostile to its host, the United States. One article states, “Washington will not support the scale of U.N. Security Council enlargement that some member states are lobbying for, the recently appointed U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said Friday.
Speaking during his first visit to Britain since his appointment, Bolton said the United States approached the issue of enlargement on the basis that any changes must "do no harm." The level of expansion proposed by Germany, Japan, Brazil and India would undermine the council's effectiveness, he told a conference at the London think tank Chatham House.”.”Source
This is where you’ll start to see Moscow throw its weight around in favor of Brazil.
”Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced his country's support Tuesday for Brazil's bid for permanent membership of a reformed UN Security Council.
Putin expressed Russia's support for Brazil as one of the strongest candidates for permanent membership of the reformed UN Security Council in a joint statement with his Brazilian counterpart, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, who is in town for a visit to Russia.
The two presidents "pointed out the need to achieve the broadest consensus possible in decision making on UN reforms," the statement said.
Russian support for Brazil's bid "is an acknowledgement of the need to reform the United Nations and of the positive role Brazil will play in this context," it said.
"I share the Russian belief that the UN Security Council and UN enlargement need a reform to become more representative and positive," Lula told a joint press conference with Putin after their talks in the Kremlin.
"Brazil regards Russia as a strategic partner," he said.” Source
China, whom is also a strategic partner of Russia, also backs the ascension of Brazil as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. As a matter of fact, China backs all the proposed nominees except the Japanese. Old hatreds die hard I guess, even amidst a global body of peace.
Another area of interest where Brazil and Russia have mutual interest and an opportunity to better each other’s influence in the world is in the field of energy. America is the leading consumer of energy in the world and consequently it has the greatest GDP and most expansive economy. We are as they say, the engine that drives the world economy. China and it’s billion strong population are quickly on the heels of the US in becoming the largest consumer of energy resources and this element of their development is in short order making them the world’s next great superpower. Behind China there’s another billion strong in India whom are poised to make their presence known on the world stage. Enter Brazil whose population is ranked 6th behind the US and Indonesia in terms of sheer numbers and is the next country that is ready to break the glass ceiling of economic growth, development and influence.
According to RIA Novosti, ”Russia and Brazil are intending to establish a privileged partnership in the energy sphere, a statement adopted after talks between the two countries' presidents said Tuesday.
The document said that progress had been made in bilateral energy cooperation.
The statement said that Russia could expand its participation in the construction of hydroelectric power plants in Brazil and both countries could strengthen coordination between their oil and gas and petrochemical companies, and exchange experience in renewable energy sources, especially ethanol.”
As we all know from living in America in the midst of an alleged energy crunch, lack of cheap, easily attainable energy can seriously stymie economic growth both individually as well as throughout ones country. Hell, it was costing me a $100 a weekend just to visit my fiancé, driving from Miami to Tampa! This deal between Brasilia and Moscow will most like result in a great expansion of both economies and it won’t be long before you start to hear murmurs about the, “threat from South America,” or something like what you hear about China these days.
Lastly, it isn’t just Brasilia that is taking the lions share of profits from a strategic partnership with Moscow. Putin is making great efforts to woo not just Brazil, but all Latin American countries in the hopes of joining the World Trade Organization sometime in the near future.
According to RIA Novosti, ”Russia is unlikely to have any difficulty completing talks with Latin American and Caribbean states on its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Economics Minister German Gref said Wednesday.
"If all goes according to plan, no major problems will arise on the issue with Latin American [member] countries," Gref told reporters after a meeting with Latin American ambassadors in Moscow.
Russia has already signed bilateral protocols on the completion of WTO accession talks with five Latin American states, and initialed agreements with three others. It has completed talks with Brazil and Argentina, and talks are nearing completion with seven other countries in the region.”
One should make an effort to note here that Latin/South America and the Caribbean used to be America’s backyard. I don’t recall anyone in power here saying the Monroe Doctrine was dead but apparently the Russians, the Chinese, the Iranians and anybody else with a dollar in their pocket seems to think it is. Even the Canadians are insisting that the Russians be allowed into the WTO. While I don’t believe we are surrounded by enemies per se, I would say that America’s relative safety where strategic lines are drawn are being challenged more and more by the day and this is just one story that proves it. This administration is so focused on Iraq it seems to forget it’s “friends” in its own hemisphere, in my humble opinion.
Certainly this Russo-Brazilian alliance is not the end of the world but it does illustrate just how fast the global community is changing. It also seems to illustrate just how slow this administration is in reacting appropriately to these changes.
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