“War in South America: United States Attacks Venezuela and Kidnaps Maduro To Loot Country’s Wealth.” That headline on the leading story on the widely-read Brasil 247 website on the morning Jan. 3 sums up the view of many in that continent. Given the scale of the U.S. intervention into Brazil’s neighbor, Venezuela, the Brazilian government activated an emergency protocol, and called an extraordinary meeting on Jan. 3 of its Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Defense to assess the impact on regional security and the more than 2,000 km border that Brazil shares with Venezuela.
Brazil is the largest country in Ibero-America and an influential member of the BRICS. Its President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva condemned the “unacceptable” U.S. intervention as yet another precedent for international chaos. He posted to this X account:
“The bombings on Venezuelan territory and the capture of its President cross an unacceptable line. These acts represent a most serious affront to Venezuela’s sovereignty and yet another extremely dangerous precedent for the entire international community.
“Attacking countries, in flagrant violation of international law, is the first step toward a world of violence, chaos, and instability, where the law of the strongest prevails over multilateralism…. The action recalls the worst moments of interference in the politics of Latin America and the Caribbean and threatens the preservation of the region as a zone of peace.
“The international community, through the United Nations, needs to respond vigorously to this episode. Brazil condemns these actions and remains available to promote the path of dialogue and cooperation,” he concluded.
