The Brazilian government considered Donald Trump’s plan to launch ground military operations under the pretext of combating drug traffickers in Venezuela as unjustified interference. This declaration, according to Itamaraty members, violates the principle of national sovereignty and exposes the region to the risk of instability.
For Brazilian diplomats, announcing the attack without prior negotiations with authorities in Caracas violates diplomatic protocol. The argument is that states usually resort to bilateral channels and multilateral mechanisms, such as international organizations (UN, OEIA), before using force.
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Itamaraty members assert that intervention, in addition to endangering civilians, will force neighboring countries to choose sides and redefine their diplomatic stance towards Caracas. The signal received by Brasilia, according to diplomats, is that the United States will indeed carry out operations in Venezuela.
Trump’s speech, Thursday (28), came during a video conference with American military personnel on Thanksgiving, and was broadcast from Mar-a-Lago, Florida. Brazil believes that adopting unilateral measures on the ground is dangerous, indicating the risk of “sudden and unexpected” escalation.
Phone call
News of the potential intervention comes at the same time that Trump and Maduro spoke on the phone last week, according to a New York Times report. The call, which did not result in any specific agreement, was described as a diplomatic opening – something that had not been expected until then, given the escalation of threats and US military action in the region.
But the unexpected rapprochement does little to ease Brasilia’s concerns. For analysts consulted by the government, negotiations accompanying the threat of invasion make the risk of conflict more serious, because they mix military pressure with diplomatic gestures — a strategy that could be interpreted as an attempt to force a transition of government or a realignment of power, which would increase uncertainty about the true motivation for US actions, according to Itamarati’s assessment.
Brazil is closely following the issue and is trying to persuade the United States to back down from the attack against Venezuela.