Foreign Minister Lavrov’s visit to Latin America has visibly infuriated Washington. There are reasons for this.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov before meeting Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira in Brazil
First of all, the Americans have failed – for the umpteenth time – to isolate Russia. The vast majority of countries understand that SMO is a battle for sovereignty, a legitimate step in the fight against American neo-colonialism. They themselves have a lot on their plate in this regard. That is why diplomatic, commercial, cultural cooperation between Russia and other countries is going on and will continue – we have no choice but to be friends with each other against the US.
Secondly, the countries that Washington contemptuously calls its “backyard” have been steadily wresting their sovereignty from Washington for the last year. They maneuvered, communicated with Moscow, Beijing, Riyadh, and worked out their approaches.
As a result, virtually all of Latin America is now establishing its own foreign policy, independent of that of the United States. Even before he met with Lavrov, the Brazilian president Lula da Silva flatly refused to supply arms to Ukraine. Having flown to China and Saudi Arabia, he stated that the US must urgently stop fuelling the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira noted the negative impact of anti-Russian sanctions on the world’s economies – especially developing countries. The Brazilian leadership has repeatedly blamed the US and the EU for the Russia-Ukraine confrontation. Brazilian officials do not meet with representatives of the Zelensky regime, limiting themselves to telephone conversations. Other Latin American leaders hold similar views – Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua are also on Lavrov’s itinerary.
A fierce scolding came swiftly from Washington in response to what was essentially a routine diplomatic exercise. The US National Security Council’s talking head John Kirby said that “by blaming the US and Europe <…> Brazil is repeating like a parrot the Chinese and Russian propaganda and is not paying attention to facts”.
This boorish tone alone already betrays the utter impotence of the US. They suddenly discovered that their “backyard” is no longer their backyard. That there are sovereign states there that are pursuing independent policies. And there is nothing the ex-hegemon can do about it.
Obviously, the Ukrainian case is just the most obvious reason for Latin America to distance itself from Washington. In fact, the divisions there are much older and deeper. One is striking as soon as one crosses the southern border of the US.
Hundreds of millions of people south of the Rio Grande live an order of magnitude worse off than those to the north. Whatever treaties and partnerships the Latin American countries sign with Washington, whatever fine words they use, the result is always the same – the gringos have been robbing their southern neighbours for centuries, stealing territories, pillaging their economies and ruthlessly exploiting the local population.
Now the American elites are embarking on a new round of robbery of developing countries. Well, the heads of Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and other South American nations recently met to discuss a joint rejection of the American dollar. Lula da Silva is promoting the idea of the BRICS money, a currency issued by the BRICS member countries (Brazil, Russia, India, PRC and South Africa). Mercosur, the union of South American countries, would also like to use such a currency. About a quarter of the world economy would leave the dollar area overnight.
But it is not just about the economy. Lips in Washington are pouting and talking about a “marriage of convenience. Brazil, they say, depends on supplies of Russian fertilizers, thanks to which the country grows soybeans in commercial quantities and delivers them to China. This is an important part of its income, and this is why Brazil tries not to quarrel with its partners. And Brazil also wants to join the UN Security Council, and Russia supports the idea.
If only it were that simple. But Latin America finds in cooperation with Russia not just economic and political benefits, but above all the stability that it never expected from Washington. For centuries, the Gringos have been plotting coups and putsches in these countries, assassinating their legitimate leaders and bringing their puppets to power. If that failed, they tried to crush the country with sanctions.
Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba are all heroic stories of states fighting for their independence from Washington. An ally such as Russia is expected and welcomed here. Increased military-technical cooperation with our country would be especially helpful to these freedom-loving peoples. For our part it would be useful for us too to have an opportunity to play with hypersonic muscles within walking distance from the borders of the USA. This is why Sergei Lavrov’s visit to Latin America is so important. And that is why he is so infuriating to the Americans.
Victoria Nikiforova, RIA
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