Fernanda Magnotta About Vieira for MRE: Just a return to normal is not enough 12.10.2022 04h00

The announcement of the five ministers of Lula’s next administration formalized something that was already taking shape behind the scenes for some time: Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira to be????????

Vieira was chancellor at the end of Dilma’s government from 2015 to 2016, in addition to having previously held some of the country’s most important positions in Buenos Aires, Washington DC and the UN, including New York.

He is one of the oldest diplomats in his career, which signals a return to Itamaraty traditions. and a great counterpoint to the elections held by the Bolsonaro government – elections that have caused massive institutional instability and countless disturbances in one of the most hierarchical structures of the Brazilian civil service over the past four years.

Despite the relative relief after crossing the Bolsonarist desert, Vieira’s choice is causing divisions among academics and especially Brazilian diplomats.

The most optimistic reviews underline that Vieira is prepared and above all experienced, as well as being sincere and kind in her personal relationships. He has the trust of Celso Amorim, who appears to be his disciple, and symbolizes his attempt to continue his legacy. Vieira is also seen as someone with three powers of political influence and a good capacity for articulation and compromise, which are key assets for the new government.

His enthusiastic outlook also indicates a disposition to listen and to accept that he will have to deal with sensitive agendas, particularly those of gender and race, which were the target of harsh criticism during his previous tenure at MRE.

On the other hand, it is not possible to ignore the wave of frustration caused by the announcement of his name. Experts point to the modest legacy that Vieira left in the previous fiscal year. They also question the choice of a name whose experience is focused almost entirely on western players. There are those who say with reservations that this is necessarily political rather than technical.

Diplomats, on the other hand, reported that the election of the new minister among young people was met with some disappointment. It was seen as an act of restraint in the behavior of the new government. For women, the disappointment is even more noticeable. There were high expectations that Lula would nominate the first female chancellor in Brazilian history. Now the predicted scenario is described as “more than the same”????????

In both cases—young diplomats and women—the perception is that there will be little institutional change in Itamaraty with Viera as chancellor. Although he is well known for conducting foreign policy “outdoors”, he is seen as conservative in the MRE’s micropolitics and has expressed concern about tackling inequalities within careers.

Even the fact that women are declared final for other important positions, such as the Chief of Staff and/or key embassies in Brazil, does not alleviate the situation. In fact, this raises concerns that this is a purely instrumentalization step to “meet demands”, but that no effective identification or care has been taken with the guidelines this group has come to light.

Overall, at the time of the announcement of their prime minister, Lula did not fare well with diversity. When asked about the band’s low representation, he gave a hard-to-swallow answer: “They’re talented people,” he said.

There is so much to talk about on this subject that it is impossible to fit it into a single column. For now, the new government’s reflections on the criteria for defining cadres make one thing clear: If Lula just brings about a “return to normal”, it won’t be enough.