This year’s G7 Summit will take place on June 26-28 at Schloss Elmau, in Upper Bavaria, Germany. But Brazil will not be there as an invited nation. Once again, the country has been passed over as an invited guest — this time in favor of India, Indonesia, Senegal, and South Africa.
Brazil has taken part in four G7 meetings, all during the presidency of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003-2010). The last time the country was at the meeting of the group of major Western powers (which alongside China and India form the world’s richest nations) was in 2009.
That hiatus highlights the decline of Brazilian soft power since Lula took office. Experts believe that this is partly due to the fact that Lula linked Brazilian soft power with his own image — but also to the lackluster performance of his successors.
Dilma Rousseff (2011-2016) did not have her predecessor’s interest for diplomacy, Michel Temer (2016-2018) lacked any clout, and incumbent Jair Bolsonaro has become a sort of international pariah due to his lackadaisical approach to the environment and diplomatic blunders.
Last October, the Brazilian president was completely sidelined during the G20 meeting in Italy, at one point spending time talking with the waiters at a reception as none of the world leaders in attendance wanted much to do with him.
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