This article is from the source 'rtcom' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.rt.com/news/525911-lula-interview-us-backyard/
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Brazil doesn’t need US permission to its own backyard, ex-president Lula tells RT | Brazil doesn’t need US permission to its own backyard, ex-president Lula tells RT |
| (3 months later) | |
| RT’s Oksana Boyko caught up with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the former leader of Brazil – who usually goes simply by Lula – to discuss his potential return in 2022 and what place he wants for his country on the global stage. | RT’s Oksana Boyko caught up with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the former leader of Brazil – who usually goes simply by Lula – to discuss his potential return in 2022 and what place he wants for his country on the global stage. |
| He said he wished for more equality in the future, and for strong countries like the US not to meddle in other nations’ affairs. | He said he wished for more equality in the future, and for strong countries like the US not to meddle in other nations’ affairs. |
| “This idea of the Americans to be a beacon for the world and not let anyone else compete economically is wrong. Americans must know that we do not want a sheriff or a tutor, we want a partner. We want brothers and sisters,” Lula said. | “This idea of the Americans to be a beacon for the world and not let anyone else compete economically is wrong. Americans must know that we do not want a sheriff or a tutor, we want a partner. We want brothers and sisters,” Lula said. |
| Lula led Brazil between 2003 and 2010 and was part of the so-called ‘pink tide’ in Latin America. The continent, which Washington traditionally considers to be its backyard, went through a resurgence of left-wing forces at the time. Lula prides his government on massive reforms to eradicate poverty and otherwise lift up the have-nots, but also on strengthening Brazil’s ties with other nations of the world. | Lula led Brazil between 2003 and 2010 and was part of the so-called ‘pink tide’ in Latin America. The continent, which Washington traditionally considers to be its backyard, went through a resurgence of left-wing forces at the time. Lula prides his government on massive reforms to eradicate poverty and otherwise lift up the have-nots, but also on strengthening Brazil’s ties with other nations of the world. |
| “We proved that Brazil could have sovereignty and international protagonism, and that this could be reached without having to ask the US. We do not need to ask permission from the US to be the owners of our own backyard,” he said. “The problem is that Brazil has a ruling class, an elite, that is subservient. They cannot do anything without asking permission from the US.” | “We proved that Brazil could have sovereignty and international protagonism, and that this could be reached without having to ask the US. We do not need to ask permission from the US to be the owners of our own backyard,” he said. “The problem is that Brazil has a ruling class, an elite, that is subservient. They cannot do anything without asking permission from the US.” |
| He described how in 2002, before his inauguration, he was invited to the White House by US President George W. Bush, who was whipping up international support for the planned NATO-led invasion of Iraq. | He described how in 2002, before his inauguration, he was invited to the White House by US President George W. Bush, who was whipping up international support for the planned NATO-led invasion of Iraq. |
| “I told President Bush,” Lula recalled, “that I did not know Saddam Hussein, that Iraq was 12,000 kilometers away from my country, that Iraq had never done anything against Brazil, and that my war was not against Iraq, but against hunger in my country.” | “I told President Bush,” Lula recalled, “that I did not know Saddam Hussein, that Iraq was 12,000 kilometers away from my country, that Iraq had never done anything against Brazil, and that my war was not against Iraq, but against hunger in my country.” |
| Brazil experienced a political whiplash in 2018 with the election of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro. Lula was barred from running against him due to a criminal sentence, but may challenge Bolsonaro’s power in 2022, since Brazil’s Supreme Court has since nullified his conviction. | Brazil experienced a political whiplash in 2018 with the election of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro. Lula was barred from running against him due to a criminal sentence, but may challenge Bolsonaro’s power in 2022, since Brazil’s Supreme Court has since nullified his conviction. |
| Bolsonaro’s leadership has been disastrous for Brazil, “almost genocidal” due to the death toll and damage inflicted on it by Covid-19, Lula believes. He says the incumbent president “does not take into account the need for humanizing the government… He did not define the protocols, he did not gather the scientists or the state governors, he did not make the decisions that any democratic government that is concerned about the people would have made.” | Bolsonaro’s leadership has been disastrous for Brazil, “almost genocidal” due to the death toll and damage inflicted on it by Covid-19, Lula believes. He says the incumbent president “does not take into account the need for humanizing the government… He did not define the protocols, he did not gather the scientists or the state governors, he did not make the decisions that any democratic government that is concerned about the people would have made.” |
| Part of the problem was the Bolsonaro government’s politically motivated decisions to reject and vilify vaccines against Covid-19 produced in China and Russia, Lula explained. Public health policy must not be based on ideology, he said. | Part of the problem was the Bolsonaro government’s politically motivated decisions to reject and vilify vaccines against Covid-19 produced in China and Russia, Lula explained. Public health policy must not be based on ideology, he said. |
| Lula declined to confirm that he would run for president next year, but said that Bolsonaro’s grip on power was diminishing as his public support dwindled. “I am sure that democracy will win the elections in 2022,” he predicted. | Lula declined to confirm that he would run for president next year, but said that Bolsonaro’s grip on power was diminishing as his public support dwindled. “I am sure that democracy will win the elections in 2022,” he predicted. |
| Like this story? Share it with a friend! | Like this story? Share it with a friend! |
| Dear readers and commenters, | |
| We have implemented a new engine for our comment section. We hope the transition goes smoothly for all of you. Unfortunately, the comments made before the change have been lost due to a technical problem. We are working on restoring them, and hoping to see you fill up the comment section with new ones. You should still be able to log in to comment using your social-media profiles, but if you signed up under an RT profile before, you are invited to create a new profile with the new commenting system. | |
| Sorry for the inconvenience, and looking forward to your future comments, | |
| RT Team. |