What Is Lula's Top Foreign Advisor's Role In The Hybrid War Coup Attempt Against Venezuela?
This strategy aims to position Brazil as a dominant force in the region, serving as a senior partner to a neoliberal Venezuela
Brazil's top foreign policy adviser, Celso Amorim, who has been described by the magazine Foreign Policy as the world’s best foreign minister, has played a crucial role in the ongoing hybrid war coup attempt against Venezuela. The decision to appoint a Brazilian official as a key player in the Hybrid War against Venezuela shows a calculated move that allows Brazil to position itself as a supporter of democracy while intervening within Venezuela, effectively using Amorim as a sober judgment figure that masks the underlying motives of capitulation. This article explores Amorim's actions and Brazil's involvement in this situation, by tracing Amorim’s political movements of the last years as to clarify the Brazilian state’s policy towards Venezuela.
Regime Change With A Human Face
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil has demonstrated a concerted effort to delegitimize the Chavista movement and the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), particularly in light of the Hybrid War disinformation campaign targeting the recent elections in Venezuela. Lula has positioned their proposals on the assumption that electoral fraud was prevalent in the July 28 elections painting the Chavista movement as fundamentally illegitimate.
Brazil, under Amorim's guidance, along with Colombia and Mexico have adopted the role of the "good cops" in the US Hybrid War, synchronizing with the usual “bad cops” of the US, Canada, Argentina, Panama, Dominican Republic, Perú, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Ecuador, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay aim to isolate Venezuela by creating an environment where Maduro is pressured to concede to demands by the opposition or new elections. For more about this readers can check out my articles:
“Categorizing LACs' Loyalties In The Midst Of The Hybrid War Coup Attempt In Venezuela”
“Brazil, Colombia And Mexico Play Good Cop In The US Coup Attempt Against Venezuela”
With Amorim’s leveraging of hybrid warfare tactics employed by the United States against Venezuela, Brazil has found a way to subtly advance its own agenda within the region. This approach enables Brazil to engage in its own form of hybrid warfare, utilizing the turmoil in Venezuela to further its strategic interests while avoiding overt confrontation with either side.
Celso Amorim: Hybrid War Operator
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Brazilian Presidential Advisor Celso Amorim at the White House on July 18 to discuss strengthening bilateral relations, also covering global and regional priorities, including Haiti, Venezuela, and Russia's war against Ukraine. Celso Amorim's recent activities and engagements with US officials signal a deliberate strategy that positions him as an operative in the broader hybrid war against Venezuela, together with Brazil's control of the Argentinian embassy in Venezuela provides it with various tools to influence the political regional landscape, support pro-US opposition movements. The arrangement of Brazil controlling the Argentinian embassy in Venezuela came about after the Venezuelan government ordered the removal of diplomats from the facility, leading Brazil to take over its administration.
Amorim reiterated Brazil’s support for the implementation of the Barbados agreements signed in October 2023, between the Venezuelan government and opposition forces of mutual respect of democracy. According to Venezuelan authorities, the deal has been interpreted by the pro-US opposition as a license to carry out criminal or violent endeavors that are not in the spirit of a democratic process. Amorim though he acknowledges the role economic sanctions play in Venezuela's predicaments, invisibilizes the other forms of Hybrid War against the Bolivarian state such as massive disinfo campaigns, political and physical violence, constant cyber attacks, and of course his role as the human face of the coup.
Amorim traveled to Venezuela on July 26 to monitor the elections as an observer, held on July 28. He remained in the country until July 30 when he met with Maduro and the main figure of the opposition, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia. On 29 July the PT (Lulas’ Workers' Party) recognized the victory of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a statement “saluting the Venezuelan people for the electoral process” and saying the elections were a “peaceful, democratic and sovereign journey.”
Days later in a GloboNews interview on August 7, Amorin spoke in his usual riddles, stating that the elections and the Venezuelan constitution must be respected while at the same time, he distanced the government and himself from that PT party's note congratulating Maduro. The original note URL is not available on the PT website anymore, but another website did an article on the note. As it stands both he and Lula are now also calling for new elections despite the opposition failing to present evidence of fraud, the backdrop of a violent coup attempt and opposition figures promoting terrorism in association with foreign powers.
On August 15, 2024, Amorim was invited to speak at the Senate's Foreign Affairs Committee, where he reiterated that Brazil would not recognize any victor and that Maduro should call for a new vote "if he has good sense." Amorim emphasized that Brazil would not recognize any victor in the Venezuelan elections until the results could be transparently assured. In addressing the idea of new elections in Venezuela Amorim made it clear he does not trust the Venezuelan authorities in conducting their elections.
Amorim's role as Brazil's top foreign policy adviser placed him in a pivotal position to influence events in Venezuela. The brilliance of having a high-ranking Brazilian official of foreign affairs play this crafty role shows how far the B of the BRICS is willing to position Amorim in Venezuela to serve as a council of capitulation disguised as sober judgment. With Amorim's influence, the US can sway other countries in the region to adopt similar stances against the Chavista government. It is because Lula is seen by many as a champion of multipolarity and Colombia's current government as well has gathered global fame from the “international left” that having these two leaders compromised jointly is so damaging to Venezuela's LAC relations.
Brazil Stalls Multipolarity
Andrew Korybko has documented just how Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has shifted his stance significantly since his imprisonment, aligning more closely with U.S. interests and Amorim has been there every step of the way. In early 2023 Lula met with President Biden and condemned Russia's SMO in Ukraine, a move that surprised many, as no other BRICS leader had done so. His condemnation included a joint statement with Biden that criticized Russia's territorial violations. Lula's change in perspective seems to reflect a recalibration of his multipolar worldview, which was influenced by his experiences in prison.
As a prominent figure in the multipolar movement, Lula’s current alignment with U.S. foreign policy raises questions about the circumstances of his release from prison, suggesting possible U.S. involvement in leaking information that discredited his political opponents just in the nick of time. Then Amorim as Lula’s Foreign Minister Strongly Implied That Putin Will Be Arrested If He Comes To Brazil, so these shifts indicate that Lula has made a "deal with the devil," compromising his previous stance to regain power and support U.S. interests in the region.
Brazil's objectives in relation to Venezuela are not solely focused on advocating for a complete regime change with a human face but rather on maintaining a nuanced position that allows Brazil to exert influence over its neighbor while appeasing Washington. This strategy aims to position Brazil as a dominant force in the region, serving as a senior partner to a neoliberal Venezuela.
Both Celso and Lula have been active in preconditioning their domestic and international audiences to view Maduro and the Chavista movement with skepticism without proof. Through speeches and media appearances, they have fostered narratives that cast doubt on the credibility of the Venezuelan government signaling a coordinated effort to rally international opinion. Amorim's approach can be interpreted as a smokescreen for capitulation to US demands masking a deeper complicity in efforts to destabilize the Venezuelan government, effectively serving as Washington's proxy in the region.