I Spy Brazil's Rise

From the overthrow of Chile’s democratically electedPresident Allende in 1973 to the current support which the United States gives to the Columbiangovernment in killing its own citizens in the failed War on Drugs there is a long history of American interference in what it regards as its back yard. Until recently, Latin American countries have had little power to fight back. True, Venzuela’s late President Hugo Chavez and his Chavista followers have often attacked the United States but their murmurings have never been seen as much of a threat to US hegemony over the continent. However, Brazil’s latest challenge to the authority of the United States should be taken seriously.

By taking action against allegations of US spying, Brazil has done what many in the West have failed to do. When the NSA spying story broke out over the summer, the West did little more than angrily Tweet about it before forgetting about the whole affair. There was very little public protesting and even less calls for actions by politicians. The reaction in Brazil has been very different. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has not only listened to public complaints about US spying but she has also spearheaded the campaign against it.

Brazil’s announcement that it plans to create a securee-mail service that would be make it much harder for international cyber-spies to intercept the electronic communications of Brazilian people and companies comes a mere matter of weeks after Rousseff passionately attacked the U.S and the NSA at the UN. In her impassioned speech Rousseff stated that ‘citizens’ personal data and information have been indiscriminately targeted and intercepted’ as well as that of businesses. Amongst the businesses allegedly targeted is the Brazilian energy giant Petrobras. If true, this is evidence that the US has, once again, extended past the pretence of its own domestic security into that of business sabotage in Latin America. With such clear threats to its own sovereign affairs and economic interests the Brazilian government is rightly incensed.

The fact that the Brazilian government feels strong enough to stand up to this American sabotage highlights its own increasing power in the world. However, the timing of these attacks might also have a little to do with decreasing its citizens own fears of globalisation. The protests which gripped Brazil’s streets over the summer have been wildly publicised. The main catalyst of these protests was Brazil’s hosting of football’s Confederations Cup and next year’s World Cup. Brazilians from all walks of life complained that the government was pouring billions of Reals (Brazil’s currency) into fancy new football stadiums and allowing a multitude of multinational companies into the country whilst completely ignoring social issues. Amongst the grievances of ordinary Brazilians are the lack of investment in health and education, the recent increases in public transport costs and perceived corruption in the upper-echelons of the government. The protests are yet to die down completely with the violence andstreet clashes which erupted at last Tuesday’s protest over teachers’ pay merely the latest example of the ongoing social strife in Brazil. Thus by attacking the United States and the interference of the NSA, Rousseff’s regime has created a scapegoat which may help to bring Brazilians together in nationalistic fervour and deflect attention from the criticisms of her government.

It is also possible to argue that rather than tackling the effects of globalisation, Rousseff’s attack against the United States and the NSA might be aimed rather, at bettering Brazil’s hand in the game of international capitalism. Indeed, Brazil is a member of the block of nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa) known as BRICS. These five nations see themselves as the economic leaders of the future and they have recently launched the BRICS Cable. The BRICS Cable is a series of undersea cables which link these five nations and other developing nations which is seen as a direct challenge by these group of nations to the hegemony of power which the United States currently yields over the internet as it will allow nations to share data more freely with the BRICS nations rather than the United States. Thus, the timing of the Rousseff’s attacks against the US government and NSA might well be designed to further undermine trust the American stewardship of the internet and gain supporters for the BRICS Cable.

A far less positive reason behind Rousseff’s attacks might well be Brazil’s desire to spy on its own citizens. Globally, citizens have tended to act with disgust when told by their governments that they intend to create a national e-mail network. This is due to the fact that citizens are aware that if their own government is in charge of their e-mail system then the government will also have easier access to their classified e-mail systems. It has to be asked of the Brazilian government, whether their scapegoating of the NSA and its spying on Brazilian people and businesses is a smoke shield designed to counter its own attempts to spy on its own citizens.  The timing of the NSA leaks appear to be a godsend to Rousseff and her government, coming at a time when they’re attempting to create a controversial national e-mail system, pushing the BRICS Cable and are dealing with public protests across the country. It has long been noted that the records of the Chinese and Russian governments when it comes to freedom of speech are deplorable; thus it does seem strange that Brazil should be so willing to enter into data sharing with these two nations whilst attacking the data-collection activities of the United States if freedom of speech is truly Rousseff’s main concern. By attacking the espionage of one nation, Rousseff might well be playing a very intelligent game and helping to improve the espionage attempts of her own nation.

There is no doubt that Brazil is a rising power in global affairs and that  it might soon overtake the United States in terms of the influence it exerts over the Global South. Barack Obama admitted as much back in April claiming not only that Brazil is a ‘leading voice in the region, but also aleading voice in the world’. In doing so, Obama may have announced to the world that he saw Brazil as a future economic and geo-political rival; in attacking the actions of the NSA, the Brazilian government has announced itself as a present rival to the United States. Whether or not the Brazilian attacks against the NSA are for the greater good remains to be seen. The current disregard for Freedom of Speech in Brazil’s BRICS allies coupled with the timing of Brazil’s internal e-mail system can be seen as signs that Brazil is about to embark on the same path of internal spying as the Chinese and the Russians.  On the other hand, Brazil does not necessarily have to follow China’s and Russia’s leads on Freedom of Speech and Rousseff’s anger at the NSA’s spying is, at least to an extent, motivated by national interest. Thus Rousseff’s tirade against snooping might well be genuine. What is unmistakable, however, is that the Brazilian crusade against the United States and the NSA will change the world. The physical world and the virtual one.