Wall Street’s New Man in Brazil: The Forces Behind Dilma Rousseff’s Impeachment
CAPITALISM, 30 May 2016
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26 May 2016 – Currently, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has become the target of a political insurrection. The legislature is in the process of convicting Ms. Rousseff on charges of corruption, thereby permanently removing her from office. In the meantime, Vice -President Michel Temer has assumed the responsibilities of president. Ms. Rousseff’s charges include using profits form Petrobras, the Brazilian semipublic oil corporation, to cover-up budget shortfalls.
The manipulation of the national budget could be considered unorthodox; however, the funds were mostly used on covering the costs of popular social programs. Acting President Michel Temer is simultaneously being investigated for bribery and corruption; however, he is a great friend to Wall Street and is a U.S. intelligence informant, which arguably puts him beyond reproach when considering impeachment or indictment.
Due to huge protests and the highly corrupt culture in Brazilian government, it has been argued that these impeachment proceedings are well overdue. However, when one studies Michel Temer and his political apparatus, it has become apparent that a return to neoliberal economic policies, diverging from Rousseff’s center-left Workers Party, is the actual goal. Furthermore, these impeachment proceedings seem to have pernicious despots secretly guided by the U.S. State Department, Defense Department and U.S. business interests, all of which have been operating in the shadows of Brazilian politics since 1962.
According to recent internal documents, provided by WikiLeaks, on several occasions Michel Temer was an embassy informant for U.S. intelligence. Temer secretly shared information to the U.S. Southern Command concerning the 2006 election of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the vitality of his center-left Workers’ Party. Temer assured the Defense Department that despite Lula’s clear path to reelection the president would have to negotiate with the opposition, the Brazilian Democratic Workers Party (PMDB), who had just won most governorships and the Senate. He also assured the U.S. that the PMDB would soon coalesce with Brazil’s right wing parties, therefore greatly minimizing the Workers’ Party platform. Additionally, Temer also criticized the social programs being implemented by Lula and the Workers’ Party, claiming Lula was too concerned the poor and not concerned enough about “economic growth.” In these communications a thin line was drawn between espionage and informant. Temer’s loyalty seemed to be with the United States and capital and not to Brazil and democracy.
For over a decade the Workers Party has implementing social programs in order to help the poor and disenfranchised. Discontented with this progress groups like the Free Brazil Movement and Students of Liberty were mobilizing in major Brazilian cities to demonstrate. It was revealed that these young Brazilians, mostly white and over-privileged college students, were being financed by the Koch brothers through the Atlas Economic Research Foundation. Despite the protests, not one party has put itself beyond criticism of corruption. The least one could say about the Workers’ Party is that they would provide safety nets for the poor.
Immediately upon assuming power interim president Temer began implementing austerity measures. Thousands of government jobs have been cut, state assets sold off to private power, he is negating boarder disputes by the indigenous population and he has scaled back poverty relief programs. Temer has also installed an all-white male cabinet and hired Pedro Parente to head Petrobus, a Wall Street figurine and insider. Due to Temer’s assault on the poor El Salvador denounced the impeachment and pulled its ambassador from Brasilia. Ecuador, Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Chile and Uruguay have all denounced the impeachment as well, some calling it a coup de d’etat. Every single one of these Latin American countries has been the victim of U.S. neoliberal policies and understands what these proceeding actually mean, U.S. control over Latin Americas resources.
This fight is not about Dilma Rousseff or corruption; the government would not impeach a corrupt president only to install a more corrupt president. This drama isn’t even about the political parties, all of them are corrupt. The problem is for the last thirteen years the Workers’ Party, with all its faults, has been implementing social welfare and safety net programs for the poor and was paying for it on the dime of Petrobras.
Brazil is the richest and most influential country in South America and for that reason is a primary target for U.S. economic control. If neoliberalism is not implemented in Latin America, what Washington considers its backyard, countries like Brazil will seek independent paths, regardless of U.S. capital and investments. This is always unacceptable to the United States’ imperialist policies and to the proxy leaders it uses for self-aggrandizement and profit.
Go to Original – counterpunch.org
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