Brazil’s Itamaraty has no goals in the Middle East against which Brazilian citizens can evalluate the actions of its Foreign Affairs Office.
Brazil, the largest Catholic country in the world, should do its best to protect Christian minorities in the region, who are facing enormous hardships in Iraq and Syria, as well as in other countries.
Brazil should also do its most to help parties in Syria to achieve peace, but Itamaraty is silent about the terrible crises in the country that is the beloved homeland of the grandparents of our large Arab Christian community.
Brazil should also show its generosity towards Palestinian refugees escaping the Iraq mayhem as well as Syrian refugees. It would cost nothing for us, and we will receive them with open arms. However, Brazilian authorities create all sorts of bureaucratic problems for people who want only an opportunity to rebuild their lives far from the terrorism that plagues the region.
Itamaraty’s lack of goals in the region, which is part of the lack of Brazil’s foreign policy goals in general, puts pressure on Itamaraty’s officiais to join in this anti-Israel furry so that the irrelevance of Brazil foreign office in the international arena and for the pursue of the country’s domestic goals in overshadowed.
Heloisa Pait teaches sociology at the São Paulo State University, Brazil.
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