This is part of the online edition of this Tuesday’s issue (24) of Jamil Chad’s newsletter. In the full subscriber-only newsletter, the columnist approaches Planalto, the sabbath that foreign governments and international organizations may face before Bolsonaro’s term ends, and the Sabbath that the Brazilian government may face before his term ends. He writes about how they behaved carefully. Expansion of BRICS. . Click here to receive the newsletter and access the full content.
Mr. Biden,
There are moments in the life of a society that decide the fate of our dreams. We are living this moment in Brazil in 2022. The choice is not difficult. However, at this crossroads, we face the serious risk of democracy being suffocated and tortured again in the dungeons of a country teeming with historical coups, self-coups and horrific ruptures.
But you have a historic opportunity in your hands. If in 1964 the White House’s option under Democrat Lyndon Johnson was to launch a coup d’état prime minister that kickstarted a dark night of two decades, this time you could take a very different route.
Penance? Not. After all, how to heal the wounds of those who have been tortured and families who have lost their children? How to save years of frustration and postponement of the future?
In the coming months, you will have two options. The first of these is to be on the side of democracy. And uncompromising. This means condemning the liquidation of institutions, not recognizing the legality of a possible coup, not seeing the government to be established as a legitimate interlocutor.
We are not inviting you into an invasion to save us before your incumbent generals get excited. But we both know that part of the coup’s success came not just from the weapons but also from the international support the incumbent dictator might have.
When you win the election, the democratic world starts a race to recognize the results of the polls, thus protecting you from the powerful bickering of your opponent, Donald Trump. One of the few who repeated the argument of the American putschists was Jair Bolsonaro.
Now is the time to test democracy elsewhere in our hemisphere. No one in Brazil has any illusions about what you stand for, and we are not fooled by the prayer that you are “exporting” democracy.
It was you who dropped atomic bombs on civilians, you failed to overcome the deep racism that has ingrained since 1619, you invaded countries, you overthrew governments that were not sympathetic to your interests, you spied on your allies’ phones, and you shocked the world. torture scenes in secret prisons. Yes, the list is long. AND that’s why we’re worried.
In fact, the second option before you is to follow the historical consistency of the USA and adapt to the fragmentation of human rights and democracy in Brazil, where we live today, in the name of economic and geopolitical interests. This would be accepted by the government of Mr Biden, Jair Bolsonaro as a seal that he could continue the demolition project.
Mr. President, the ultimate success of people trying to disrespect the Capitol represents a political earthquake in the world. On another scale, though, the Brazilian elections in 2022 will also have a global impact. It’s not just the fate of the 210 million people at stake in Brazil. A coup d’etat in my country will reinforce the autocratic trend on the planet and strengthen movements that question fundamental freedoms.
Democracy today is in its toughest moment since the end of the Cold War. Only 6% of the world’s population fully benefits from such a system. If the Bolsonaro model develops, who can stop the shoddy copycats in neighboring countries? If the Bolsonaro model holds out, it will be his government that will have to face a region that is eager for the return of rival Donald Trump.
If at the beginning of this letter I referred to the role played by the United States in the 1964 coup, there was also a radically different chapter.
In 1978, his old acquaintance Jimmy coachman I made a trip to Brazil and escaped the army in my country and got Dom Paulo Evaristo. hour In the car that will take him on the last day of his visit to Galeão airport. The 46-kilometer journey took place on this occasion. hour As Bolsonaro applauded, he was required to report violations committed by the military regime.
It was a frank speech. hour asked coachman This is what he expected of the Church in the fight against oppression. His colleague was open in his criticism, warning that in some places “the Church is not doing what it is supposed to do”. According to him, human rights defenders are “subject to constraints” from the Church, not support.
The Cardinal presented a three-point memorandum that made it clear that he had serious reservations about American foreign policy. hour He wanted to show that the military regime only existed thanks to American support, and said it was time to undo what Washington had started.
He wasn’t going to limit himself to grades. Another letter from Brazil coachman It was a secret summons signed by Asian Cardinal Stephen Sou. huan Who and African Bishop Donald Lamont. In the document, religious leaders warned that “all countries” will no longer remain silent in the face of economic and political pressures.
Religious people still criticized the “institutionalized torture” that exists “all over the world”, resulting in a direct attack on the United States. “We can’t be quiet, and we don’t want to be. selfishness “Some countries and groups hinder the construction of a more humane world where every human being can live with dignity,” he said.
Despite the lack of consensus, persistence coachman concern for human rights contributed to Brazil’s diversion in the years that followed. What is undeniable, by placing hour He got in his car and accepted the dialogue, his colleague showing character.
Image: Vidal Cavalcante/Folhapress
Mr President,
Another old friend of mine, John Lewis, whom I admire, said that democracy is not a state. I kill. So keep this in mind when evaluating. the options you will have ahead of Brazil.
Any hypocritical arrangement you propose against the treacherous intentions of the Jair Bolsonaro government will destroy what little remains of our dreams. Deep down, you don’t even have a choice if you really want to protect your Democrat credentials.
My generation grew up with the false premise that democracy is in our birth certificate. This was not true. In the end, we didn’t even start. to build. It will only happen when we are no longer colonized, when there is social justice, when the black population takes its rightful place. But for the dream to succeed, it will be crucial to avoid a coup d’etat in Brazil right now.
You have a historic opportunity in 2022. Don’t waste it. For the love of my children, for the love of your grandchildren.
Democratic greetings,
jamil
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