ISSN 2674-8053

Brazil enters the US election game

Photo: Jason Leysner/AFP

In 18/9/2020 the United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, made a quick visit to Brazil. Given the importance of the position, an important agenda was expected between the governments of the United States and Brazil. But the reality was quite different: the Brazilian government opened the doors of the territory so that the Secretary could campaign politically for the re-election of the current President Donald Trump.

The visit took place in Brasilia, where all protocols required for a United States Secretary could be properly implemented (equivalent to a minister, No brazil). It also did not serve to exchange intentions or even sign cooperation agreements. It was an unusual visit to Roraima. Why?

To better understand the visit, it is necessary to understand what is happening in the US elections. Florida is one of the states that has proven to be decisive in the elections and is receiving special attention from candidates. At the moment candidates Trump and Biden are technically tied for the pursuit of 29 votes equivalent to the state electoral college.

The Venezuelan community in the state is very large and influential.. Result: whoever conquers the agenda of this community can also achieve a good influence on voters of Latin origin.

The Venezuelans in Florida are against President Nicolás Maduro and advocate a stronger role for the US government in his removal from power. It is in this context that Secretary Pompeo visits Roraima, strengthening US support for democracy and, consequently, against Maduro's moves to strengthen himself in power.

It is not enough for the visit to be of a clearly electoral character, it was also attended by Brazilian chancellor Ernesto Araújo. Like this, what could have been just an electoral movement from another country, using an international visit, got even bigger, with the endorsement of the Brazilian chancellery.

It would be something strange in itself, but when we look at the current Brazilian foreign policy in relation to the United States, the strategy of supporting what comes from there is clear, regardless of the interests of Brazil itself..

Rodrigo Cintra
Post-Doctorate in Territorial Competitiveness and Creative Industries, by Dinâmia - Center for the Study of Socioeconomic Change, of the Higher Institute of Labor and Enterprise Sciences (ISCTE, Lisboa, Portugal). PhD in International Relations from the University of Brasília (2007). He is Executive Director of Mapa Mundi. ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1484-395X