Is Lula Now the Leader of the Free World?

Opinion for The Latino Newsletter

Editor’s Note: Raphael is a writer who I have been editing and publishing since 2021. I have always enjoyed his pitches about Brazil. This is his debut opinion piece for The Latino Newsletter. — Julio

“Leader of the Free World” is a title that has been a shorthand for the President of the United States, a reflection of American dominance in global affairs. But as U.S. hegemony faces challenges and multipolarity rises, and as Donald Trump is set to once again enter the White House, new contenders for this symbolic role are emerging.

Among them is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the Brazilian president who, with his assertive diplomacy, has sought to position himself as a moral and political voice on the global stage. While Lula’s ambitions are clear, the path to becoming a global leader of this caliber is fraught with challenges, contradictions, and compromises.

Lula’s return to the presidency in 2023 for a third term has been marked by a vigorous push to reassert Brazil’s role in global geopolitics as bridge between the Global North and South. He has been advancing Brazil's environmental and economic priorities, lobbying for debt relief for developing nations, and advocating for reforms in international institutions, such as the United Nations, particularly the Security Council.

This is similar to what he did in his previous presidency term (2003-2011) when he adopted a South-South agenda, declared his intentions to lead the fight against hunger, and broke deals such as with Iran and Turkey on nuclear disarmament.

Lula has also emerged as a rare global leader willing to take a firm stance on the Palestinian crisis. At a time when many leaders in the West hesitate to criticize Israel’s actions in Gaza, Lula has condemned what he and others see as a genocide against Palestinians.

Moreover, Lula’s closeness with figures like French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish President Pedro Sánchez lends him credibility. This alignment with European leaders and a leading role in Latin America strengthens Lula’s claims to be a figure who can unite disparate regions and ideologies under a common banner of progressivism and equity.

Despite these successes, Lula’s path to global leadership is complicated by contradictions in his foreign policy. One of the most glaring is his stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine. Lula has attempted to position himself as a neutral broker, calling for dialogue and peace while avoiding direct criticism of Vladimir Putin. This neutrality, however, is nothing more than a façade, with his party, the Worker’s Party, openly supporting the Russian aggression, coupled with Lula’s insistence on making only timid criticisms of Russia, generally not mentioning Putin.

His relationship with autocratic leaders like Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega and Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro also poses challenges, despite relations with both leaders being shaken at the moment by Brazil having timidly raised the tone of criticism. Both nations have turned on Lula in recent months, with Venezuela's Attorney General accusing Lula of being a “CIA agent.”

A Global South Unifier?

This public discord with former allies undermines Lula’s credibility as a unifier of the Global South, exposing the fragility of the alliances he seeks to build. The dilemma is between allying with dictatorships and keeping quiet about their crimes or adopting a less subservient position and losing support. 

Further complicating matters is the domestic reality Lula faces. Brazil, while a regional powerhouse, lacks the economic or military clout of the U.S., China, or the EU. Lula’s capacity to influence global events is thus inherently limited by Brazil’s structural constraints and only in the field of political influence.

His ambitious agenda at home —including combating deforestation, reducing inequality, and rebuilding Brazil’s economy— demands significant attention and resources and at least in the environmental front, Lula has only reaped defeats and the economy is in a difficult situation.

The idea of Lula as the leader of the free world might feel premature or even fanciful. Yet, it reflects a need for an alternative to the traditional centers of power. With the U.S. often seen as hypocritical in its advocacy for democracy, and China’s rise accompanied by authoritarian overtones, with Russia’s criminal invasion of Ukraine and Israel genocidal campaign against Palestine, many are searching for a leader who can articulate an alternative global order.

However, for Lula to truly assume this mantle, he must resolve the contradictions in his foreign policy and domestic affairs, both tasks that are tremendous and, in some cases, the ideological positions of his own party that’s far more radical and less pragmatic than Lula.

In other words, Lula’s leadership will depend on his ability to deliver results, both at home and abroad. Symbolism and rhetoric alone will not suffice; his vision must translate into tangible progress on issues like climate change, global inequality, and peace-building.

The great thing is that his discourse has changed little since his previous presidency, but the world has changed greatly. It has become much more chaotic, with conflicts that are in danger of starting a third world war and with new powerful players, and the Brazilian economy, unlike the early 2000s, is showing signs of weakening and crisis.

About the Author

Raphael Tsavkko Garcia is a journalist with a PhD in human rights (focused on migration and diaspora). You can read his portfolio here.

Donation Update

Thanks several donations over the weekend, we are now at 56% of our year-end $10,000 goal, and we have 64 supporters.

If you enjoy receiving The Latino Newsletter's daily posts for free, without paywalls, reaching 100% of the fundraising target in 2024 will keep us going until February 2025. We are $4,392 away from the best year-end gift we can get!

What We’re Reading (or Watching)

60 Minutes on Mexico and Guns: On Sunday, “60 Minutes” reported how the Mexican government “says guns from the U.S. help fuel cartel violence.”

Another Post-Election Latino Voter Poll: In our effort to share as many post-election Latino voter polls, veteran political consultant and pundit Mike Madrid shared details of a poll he conducted with Binder Research.

The Latino Newsletter welcomes opinion pieces in English and/or Spanish from community voices. You can email our publisher, Julio Ricardo Varela. The views expressed by outside opinion contributors do not necessarily reflect the editorial views of this outlet.