How Bolsonaro changed Brazil’s voting behavior at the UN

When the United Nations General Assembly voted on a resolution condemning Russia, Brazil followed most of the West in calling out Vladimir Putin for the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. However, the country engaged in negotiations to soften the language used in the UN resolution — and argued that the document should reflect the narrative that both Ukraine and Russia failed to abide by the Minsk agreements.

With no practical effect, the resolution was a symbolic gesture to underline Mr. Putin’s international isolation. As far as Brazil is concerned, it also showed how the country’s behavior at the UN has changed since President Jair Bolsonaro took office in 2019.

After winning the election, Mr. Bolsonaro appointed anti-globalist Sinophobic diplomat Ernesto Araújo to lead Brazil’s Foreign Affairs Ministry. A fervent opponent of “cultural Marxism,” Mr. Araújo once wrote in the...