During the presidential campaign, many of my Brazilian friends voted for Mr. Bolsonaro but doubted that he’d keep his campaign promises. I got the Portuguese version of “all politicians make promises, you know.”
Yes, all politicians say things during the campaign that come back to haunt them, from “Mexico will pay for the wall” to “I will close Guantanamo.”
Down in Brazil, President Bolsonaro ran a Trump-like campaign by promising to end support for Cuban doctors, get tough on Venezuela, get very tough on criminals, and stop migrants from coming into the country.
So far, he is fulfilling his promise about Cuban doctors and isolating Venezuela.
Let’s add another one, as reported in The New York Times:
President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil said Wednesday that his government would no longer be a party to a United Nations migration accord signed last month, arguing that “not just anyone can come into our home.”The decision is not expected to have any immediate impact because the deal, known as the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, is not legally binding on the more than 160 nations that signed it.But it may signal that Latin America’s largest nation, which has long been welcoming to foreigners, may adopt a harder line on immigration as Mr. Bolsonaro’s far-right administration gets settled.“Brazil has a sovereign right to decide whether or not it accepts migrants,” Mr. Bolsonaro said in a message posted on Twitter. “Anyone who comes here must be subject to our laws and customs, and must sing our national anthem and respect our culture.”
As the article indicates, this UN agreement is one of those that is not binding on the countries that signed.
Am I the only person in the world who does not understand why countries sign agreements that are not binding? On the other hand, wasn’t that the story of the Paris Climate Accords? Didn’t we just read that no one is living up to it?
Yes, Brazil, like Argentina, has welcomed millions of Europeans over the years. All you have to do is look at the names on the roster of the World Cup team.
In recent years, Brazil and Argentina have been getting a lot of “migrants” from Paraguay or Bolivia, two poor countries. My friend from Buenos Aires recently told me that his hometown is full of people doing odd jobs, such as washing cars or working as maids.
So far, Bolsonaro is the real thing and is challenging the left.
PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
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