4/4/2014 ' Whether we like it or not: Brazil in the Middle East'

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HELP
BY
'Whether we like it or not: Brazil
in the Middle East'
JOSHUA KEATI NG
The [Brazilian Foreign Ministry], we believe, underestimated the sensitivities
aroused by its somewhat ham-handed diplomacy, yet are unwilling to
acknowledge that the Summit and Amorim's ill-conceivd visit to the region
could undermine the Middle East peace process at a delicate and promising
moment.
Brazil's initial reaction might have given reason for hope for a more balanced
approach to Middle East peace issues if it had not been followed up by the usual
one-sided posture of laying most of the blame at Israel and taking potshots at
the U.S. for not doing more to stop Israel. The clich-laden bromides of Brazilian
officials are also indicative of a lack of real understanding of the Middle East
that is troubling in a government that proposes to become involved.
A series of cables released today reveal that U.S. diplomats were alarmed by
Brazil's forays into Mideast diplomacy, long before last year's unsuccessful
nuclear deal with Iran and the recognition of the Palestinian state.
A March 2005 cable concerns a visit that former Brazilian Foreign Minister
Celso Amorim made to the Middle East in preparation for that year's Arab-South
American summit. Amorim snubbed an invitation by the Israeli government to
pay a visit, instead spending 24 hours in the Palestinian territories. The U.S.
Embassy in Brasilia writes:
A December 2008 cable expresses concern over former Brazilian President Luiz
Incio Lula da Silva's strong criticism of the Israeli invasion of Gaza:
4/4/2014 ' Whether we like it or not: Brazil in the Middle East'
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Brazil's unhelpful positions and sometimes inaccurate statements with regard
to the Middle East muddy the waters for U.S. policy and interests in the Middle
East. Moreover, as an increasingly influential global player with aspirations to a
permanent seat in the UN Security Council, Brazil is seeking to use its new
alliances, such as the IBSA forum (India, Brazil, South Africa) and the BRICs
(Brazil, Russia, India, and China), to exert leadership on issues outside the
geographical confines of those groupings. Finally, Brazil has real influence in
the region. The Arab-South America Summit was a Brazilian initiative, and
during the 2005 summit, many Latin American governments with little
experience on issues related to Middle East peace deferred to Brazil as it
negotiated and eventually caved to Arab countries on controversial language of
the summit declaration (Refs O, P, and Q).
12. (C) On Iran, although Brazil is in no danger of falling into the Iranian "orbit",
Brazil's almost obsessive interest in pursuing "balanced" relations tends to
come at our expense
Brazil's increasingly close relationship with Iran was also a matter of concern in
the Bush-era State Department. A July 2008 cable worries that Brazil's
"increasing focus on the Middle East coincides with aggressive efforts on the
part of Iran to extend its influence in the region beyond Caracas to other
countries in Latin America" and that "extreme GOB sensitivity to being seen as
taking Washington's side has led to a consistent tendency to express sympathy
toward countries in Washington's crosshairs, such as Iran and Syria."
Under the section heading, "Whether we like it or not: Brazil in the Middle
East," the cable goes on to speculate about what Brazil's growing influence on
the world stage will mean for Mideast diplomacy:
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During a panel discussion at FP's Global Thinkers' gala in December -- which
coincided with the first week of Cablegate releases, Amorim jokingly
complained that Brazil wasn't very prominently featured in the cables then
released compared with co-panelist Ahmet Davutoglu's Turkey. Given
Amorim's interest in Mideast diplomacy and how it reflected his overall vision
of a Brazilian foreign policy independent of Washington's influence, he'll
probably take these latest cables as a compliment.
JAMAL ARURI/AFP/Getty Images).