With no meetings with the world’s main leaders and rejected by democracies, President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) will use his trip to New York this Tuesday to mobilize the world’s extreme right. The Brazilian will be in the US for the opening of the UN (United Nations) General Assembly and will not have a meeting with the American despite speaking minutes in front of Joe Biden.
According to Itamaraty, Bolsonaro’s agenda includes Presidents of Ecuador Guillermo Lasso; from Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei; from Poland, Andrzej Duda; and from Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic.
All represent ultraconservative governments or leaders of the extreme right in their respective countries, with controversial agendas and challenged by European democrats. It is still a minor group in the country’s foreign trade, diplomatic operations, geopolitical issues and investment flow.
In the case of Guatemala, the Central American country was one of the new members of the Brazilianfounded alliance to defend reactionary agendas on the international stage and at the UN. Giammattei joined the Geneva Consensus, a Brazilianled bloc aiming to fight against any reference to sex education or reproductive health in international organizations. The reason would be the gap this could open up on abortion.
Guatemala’s accession followed a work of parallel Brazilian diplomacy led by Family Minister Angela Gandra. For many in the government itself, she acted as a kind of “shadow chancellor”.
A meeting with the Polish Duda is also planned. The Warsaw government is seen as one of the pillars of the extreme right in Europe, accused of undermining the independence of the judiciary and pursuing policies that run counter to the rights of the LGBTI movement.
After returning from his visit to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bolsonaro had hoped to stop in Poland in February this year. But Warsaw chose to distance itself from Russia’s allies, signaling that the meeting was not appropriate. But Poles remain one of the main pillars of the world’s farright movement, with units in Warsaw enjoying privileged ties with members of the Bolsonaro government.
The relationship with Ecuador also has a pillar on the value agenda. The Brazilian government is trying to sew up Quito’s entry into the Geneva consensus bloc, including the impact of Colombia’s departure from the group after the progressive camp’s victory in Bogotá. Lasso is indeed one of the last ideological allies of Bolsonarianism in South America.
In the case of Serbia, the meeting also represents an attempt to get closer to one of the countries marked by a profound democratic decline.
A few days ago, Vucic canceled the gay parade in Belgrade under pressure from religious groups. In 1995, while still a member of parliament, he promised in the Bosnian war that Belgrade would kill 100 Muslims for every Serb killed. Three years later he took over the position of Minister of Information in the government of Slobodan Milosevic, who was accused of war crimes before the International Criminal Court.
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