No easy road to peace

Dear President Lula,

You, I and everyone else knows that war is a terrible thing. The world also knows that this conflict could not have come at a worse time, as all nations, to a greater or lesser extent, are still feeling the limitations of their own economic capacity after two deadly, inequality-increasing years of the Covid pandemic.

And yes, we know that a violent conflict goes the opposite direction from a better society and a fairer global market.

Precisely because starting a war is a tremendously damaging thing, ending it is twice as difficult. Even without being right in their arguments, people who start a conflict have strong convictions, to say the least.

This is especially true in the case of Russia’s Vladimir Putin. At the same time, Volodymyr Zelensky’s Ukraine is not particularly interested in giving up its sovereign territory. All the while, innocent people who have nothing to do with the conflict are dying on the battlefield.

That’s why saying that Brazil expects both presidents to have the “good will” to end the war is not necessarily the best approach. Perhaps – and especially now that Brazil is back in the diplomatic game after four years of isolation under Jair Bolsonaro – the Brazilian government could make a stronger statement, positioning itself as the global protagonist it wants to be.

A strong statement indeed, but also one that avoids giving a bad impression to other world powers interested in the conflict, such as China and the U.S. – which, regardless of the war, remain important trading partners for Brazil.

We know it’s not an easy job, but delicate moments require timely decisions.

Lucas Berti and Jika

Laura Quirin’s expertise lies in business development in emerging markets. After a six-year stint in China, where she studied and represented French companies, she now lives in São Paulo. As the founder, Laura develops The Brazilian Report’s strategy. She holds a joint MBA from Université Lille II in France and Fudan University in Shanghai.