Hillary
Clinton and Brazil's first woman president, Dilma Rousseff.
Le Figaro, France
Hillary 'Lacks Panache' at Inaugural of Brazil's First Woman President
"At
63, the same age as Dilma, she could have shown a bit of solidarity between
women - and a more suitable sentiment than pique. An American first and
foremost, she proved incapable of expressing the admiration that Brazil so
deserves as a country. Was it an error of judgment or the last act in a tired
career?"
Acting as Barack Obama's
representative, Hillary Clinton, her blow-dry floppy, showed no panache at the
inauguration of Dilma Rousseff. All smiles at the photo op with Dilma, she
nonetheless arrived after everyone else and set out again before them, making
her own security and PR arrangements: it was a failure to play the game that
awkwardly demonstrated the "imperialist" nature of her presence. At
63, the same age as Dilma, she could have shown a bit of solidarity between
women - and a more suitable sentiment than pique. An American first and
foremost, she proved incapable of expressing the admiration that Brazil so
deserves as a country. Was it an error of judgment or the last act in a tired
career?
It seems unlikely that the
photo of Dilma and Hillary will make its way onto Hillary's ego wall in
Washington, commemorating an unforgettable day for the first woman president of
Brazil. In any case, one need not go as far as Hillary's wall. The American
media were miserly in the images and space they devoted to an event taking
place in a country where women are more famed for physical performance and
attractiveness than occupying high political office.
The inauguration of the first
woman president of Brazil, a product of the Labor Party who was supported by Lula, did, however, merit a
gesture of some panache on the part of the Americans: a gesture acknowledging
the terrific surge of vitality the country has experienced since the trade
unionist's accession to power there; a gesture which would not have made
left-wingers of those who offered it.
Hillary and Dilma were born
in the same year, 1947. Both are baby boomers and militants. Dilma resisted
dictatorship and was imprisoned between 1970 and 1973. Hillary's experiences
may not be directly comparable, but she fought for women's rights and a
universal healthcare reform package that foundered in 1993, despite her best
efforts. They are both intellectuals: Dilma is an experienced economist and
Hillary a product of Yale University through-and-through.
Hillary, though, must have
seen in Dilma's inaugural success what she herself has failed to achieve: the
translation of a brilliant political career into election as president of one's
country. And Dilma's swearing-in must haunt her like a bad movie of her own
personal fiasco. Tough, very tough.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
The attitude of the secretary
of state's confirmed the narrow-mindedness of North toward South America.
1- A week ago, Lula expressed
his regret that “nothing had changed” in the United States' vision of Latin
America. It still regards the latter as a continent of under-developed machistas
[male chauvinists], led by caudillos [leaders] wishing to emigrate
to the United States: a “backyard.” This is to ignore reality. Worse still,
Americans fail to perceive the difference between Brazil and other South
American states.
2- Brazil is emphatically not
an American subculture: the U.S. holds no fascination there. Brazil is
self-sufficient, it has its own identity, its own autonomy; its people play
football, dance the samba, celebrate Carnival and certainly not Halloween.
After the 11th of September, Brazilians spoke of the Twin Towers for a day,
then moved on to other topics. No, really ...
3- Unlike other South
American countries, Brazil has no Diaspora in the U.S., or at least, it doesn't
pose an immigration problem.
4- Brazil is multiracial, and
so thumbs its nose at the U.S.: it offers another model of being, another "national
destiny." America's vision of Brazil remains anchored in the pre-Lula era,
when the country was underdeveloped and marked by inequality. At the time,
diversity was not synonymous with the enviable success story that the
"B" in BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) now signifies.
5 - Brazil is rich. It's a
competitor of the United States, and as Lula pointed out on the eve of his
departure, the aim is to become “the fifth largest economy in the world” by
2016. It's up to Americans to rethink their views of Brazil and the global
distribution of power - before they show up at the Olympic Games that Rio, not
Chicago, will host in 2016.
P.S.: Happy New Year and
here's to the road to 2012!
