Prominent Brazilians Ponder Foreign Policy Challenges and

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 RIO DE JANEIRO 000236 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL SENV ETRD ECIN BR SUBJECT: Prominent Brazilians Ponder Foreign Policy Challenges and Priorities ¶1. (U) Summary. The Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI) commemorated its 10th anniversary with a special forum in Rio de Janeiro on September 2, 2008 which featured prominent Brazilian policymakers and academics speaking on the theme of "Challenges to Brazil's Foreign Policy." CEBRI was modeled after the U.S. Council on Foreign Policy, and is widely considered the most prestigious think tank in Brazil on foreign policy and international relations. Conference participants packed the halls of Itamaraty Palace, the former Foreign Ministry, to hear remarks from a distinguished list of speakers including current Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, Presidential Foreign Policy Advisor Marco Aurelio Garcia, and former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. Key themes that emerged from the discussion as challenges to Brazil's foreign policy were the need to balance historical principals such as multilateralism and regional integration against pursuing Brazil's own national interests; how best to realize the goal of global (versus regional) leadership on issues such as energy, trade, and climate change; and the need to foster more innovation within Brazil and the region to strengthen South America's standing in the world. A synopsis of forum discussions follows below. End Summary. The Government's Perspective -------------- ¶2. (U) Foreign Minister Celso Amorim opened the conference by noting that there are indeed many challenges to Brazilian foreign policy, but chose to focus on two main themes. First, he stressed the primacy of multilateralism in Brazilian foreign policy from both a political and an economic perspective. For example, even though Mercosur or a potential 4+1 trade agreement with the U.S. might be of interest to Brazil - the country's main priority is emphatically on World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, according to Amorim. The same can be said of Brazil's view of the United Nations on international security issues. Amorim cited his recent conversation with U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel on Brazil's command of Haiti peacekeeping efforts and said that such action by Brazil could only be imaginable in the context of the UN. Second, Amorim reaffirmed South American integration as the key element of Brazil's foreign policy looking forward, noting that Brazil's prosperity is intrinsically linked to that of its neighbors. He explained that Brazil is striving to integrate more deeply with other South American countries to strengthen their collective voice on the world stage. For his part, President Lula's International Advisor Marco Aurlio Garcia noted that Brazil is becoming more multi-polar and multilateral in its international relations strategy. He said that on trade, President Lula is committed to WTO and that reaching agreement there takes priority over pursuing separate agreements with Mercosur, the U.S., or the European Union. He touched on South American integration, saying that trade is an important issue but that it should not be viewed as the primary tool by which to integrate. Brazil, he said, needs to look to integrate with its neighbors on a wide range of issues such as democracy, social development, agricultural and industrial policy, and technology transfer. Former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso -------------- ¶3. (U) Former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso challenged Brazil to take bolder positions on foreign policy. The country's goal should not be limited to being just a regional leader. Brazil's challenge, he said, is that it needs to move from adolescence into adulthood in international relations; it should avoid being overly romantic and overly arrogant. Brazil needs to come out in front and take strong positions. It cannot afford to hide behind political alliances and regional integration for fear of showing any crack in what we all know is a tenuous solidarity among neighboring states. Brazil cannot expect to shape its foreign policy with third world country ideals, because Brazil does not identify with most countries of the third world. He criticized the singular focus on the WTO Doha round without thinking about other alternatives such as bilateral trade agreements. Brazil should build bilateral agreements with other countries, he argued, saying that until now Brazil has only one commercial and partial agreement with Mexico that was signed during his administration. Regional Integration -------------- ¶4. (U) Deputy Foreign Minister Samuel Pinheiro Guimaraes echoed Amorim's comments on the importance of regional integration. However, he noted that Brazil is very different from its neighbors. Despite the many similarities that existed in the 1960s, the dynamism of Brazil's economy especially sets it apart from the rest of South America. He cited diversification of exports as the main factor which has made Brazil more competitive internationally, and which has led to a growing trade surplus with the countries of South America. Diplomat Joao Baena Soares argued that regional challenges RIO DE JAN 00000236 002 OF 003 require priority attention because South America is so important for Brazil. The continuity of a consistent and predictable foreign policy, generous with its neighbors is in Brazil's national interest, he insisted. Baena Soares did say, though, that he does not believe that Brazil is ready to play the role of a global actor on behalf of the region. Researcher Maria Regina Soares de Lima highlighted Brazil's many competing alliances as a challenge to foreign policy. In addition to the goal of regional integration with South American neighbors, Brazil's foreign policy is also focused on building coalitions with other groups of countries with perceived overlapping interests such as China, India, Mexico, and South Africa. South-South Dialogues and the G-8 -------------- ¶5. (U) University of Sco Paulo Professor Gilberto Dupas noted Brazil's strength in international negotiations and said that Brazil should take advantage of this to increase its weight in global governance, such as in the G-8. However, there is an increasing lack of credibility of many of the other south-south and regional groups to which Brazil belongs. According to Dupas, the G-4, G-20 and Mercosur clearly do not move beyond the national interests of each member country to accomplish the goals for forming such groups. Former Chancellor Francisco Rezek declared that, while it is important that Brazil invests in defense, the country has other competing needs for public resources which should be the priority. According to him, ethanol is a golden opportunity of growth for Brazil. However, environmental rules should not be disregarded. Asked about what Brazil expects from the US, former Deputy Foreign Minister Marcos Azambuja answered that Brazil wants full access to financial markets and high technology. Environment, Energy and Food Supply -------------- ¶6. (U) Former Foreign Minister Luiz Felipe Lampreia and former National Petroleum Agency (ANP) Director Sebastiao do Rego Barros agreed that Brazil needs to change its position in relation to international negotiations on climate change. Brazil has increased its emissions significantly during the past years, contributing to the increase in average worldwide temperature by 2-6 degrees centigrade from 1990-2007, the highest registered change in temperatures in world history. They argued that Brazil, which they called one the ten biggest polluters of the planet, should accept targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Lampreia also noted that Amazon deforestation has increased by 64 percent in the one year period between August 2007-August 2008, a sacrifice which has not necessarily been taken for the benefit of economic growth or an increase in agricultural production. He noted a very large and organized campaign to smear biofuels, preying on fears of deforestation or decreased food supply. Commerce and Innovation -------------- ¶7. (U) Former Ambassador to the U.S. Roberto Abdenur said that innovation is the key to Brazil's development. According to him, Brazil had a steep increase in science production, but the country still needs more innovation. Abdenur also cited that the internationalization of Brazilian corporations and intellectual property are two themes that need special attention as part of development policy. Finally, Director of the Brazilian Economic Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean Renato Baumann said that Brazil needs to integrate more deeply with Mercosur countries. He affirmed the importance of innovation, but said that Brazil should try to accomplish innovation together with neighboring countries through technology exchange. ¶8. (SBU) Comment. It appears that Brazil's policy elite is struggling seriously with the question of whether the old ways of doing diplomacy make sense in light of Brazil's growing economic heft and global aspirations. We are already beginning to see Brazilian interest in a more activist foreign policy outside of South America-e.g., in their leadership in the WTO and in Haiti peacekeeping, in their growing interest in playing a role in the Middle East Peace Process, and in their increased outreach to Africa. The current debate suggests that, over the next decade, we could well see this trend intensify. Indeed, following the CEBRI forum, an equally distinguished group which again included Foreign Minister Amorim gathered in Rio de Janeiro to discuss "How Brazil Can Be the Best of the BRIC Countries." Among other things, the group discussed political coordination with other BRIC countries, South American integration and the value of Mercosur as a trade bloc, and the importance of Brazil's global leadership in the context of multilateral organizations such as the UN and the WTO. Leading 2010 presidential contender Sao Paulo Governor Jose Serra and former diplomat Sergio Amaral (a key foreign policy advisor to Serra) both clearly signaled that foreign policy objectives under a RIO DE JAN 00000236 003 OF 003 new administration might well take a different approach to Mercosur and South American integration, looking to advance Brazil's political and trade agenda in a more pragmatic way. End Comment. ¶9. (U) This cable has been coordinated with and cleared by Embassy Brasilia. MARTINEZ