US President Joe Biden told his Brazilian counterpart, Jair Bolsonaro: the rest of the world should be able to “help” Brazil “protect” the Amazon as much as it can. This is how Biden spoke at the beginning of the bilateral meeting with Bolsonaro within the framework of the IX Americas Summit in Los Angeles.
But in the context of criticism from the international community for record deforestation rates in the Amazon, the US president acknowledged that Brazil has made “real sacrifices” when it comes to protecting the largest tropical forest on the planet. “I think the rest of the world should be able to help them protect[Amazon]as much as they can,” Biden said.
Bolsonaro affirmed that Brazil “protects its territory very well” and “sometimes” feels that Brazil’s sovereignty over the Amazon is “threatened”, citing criticism from other countries and organisations. As a presidential candidate, Bolsonaro advocated exploitation of natural resources The Amazon has loosened control of activities that attack the environment, including domestic reserves, and since it took power in January 2019, mostly illegal mining and wood trade in that area.
The relationship between Biden and Bolsonaro was distant even before they came to power, and the White House announced before the meeting that the US president plans to discuss the Amazon issue and that the Brazilian elections should be held by October. Free”. During the interview, Biden nevertheless tried to zoom in on positions, describing Brazil as a “great place with great people” and recalling that he has visited the country three times, including a football World Cup. What makes this country great is that Bolsonaro He added that it has “a vibrant and inclusive democracy and strong electoral institutions” at a time of tension over its position in the elections.
this far-right leader’s constant reference to the electoral process and “people in arms” In the event of a defeat in the opposition and even in some institutions in October, the power encourage a reaction from your followers. Moreover, the political base of the far right is largely composed of the military and police, all of which has led many analysts to predict that the 2022 election campaign could be punctuated by violence.