The Vexing Rise of the Transnational Right
Foreign AffairsNov 26, 2022
The Facts
Reports emerged on Saturday that Brazil's Pres. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has sacked army commander Gen. Júlio César de Arruda, with a source telling Reuters his replacement will be Gen. Tomás Miguel Ribeiro Paiva, army commander of the southeast.
This comes as Lula dismissed 53 military officers who were assigned to the National Security Advisor's office over this week, questioning how he could trust the military personnel with his security after suggesting that "people in the Armed Forces" had colluded with protesters.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Pres. Lula is justifiably worried about the potential domestic entities involved in the Jan. 8 riots. Beyond that, he should also focus on the international forces shaping public sentiment, such as the right-wing Trump movement in the US that sparked the Capitol riots in Washington. Jair Bolsonaro and his far-right friends to the north still hold sway over their base, so Lula will likely be dealing with these factions for a long time to come.
Establishment-critical narrative
The Jan. 8 storming of government buildings was relatively peaceful despite some damage to furniture and artwork, and Bolsonaro never encouraged his supporters to gather that day, let alone attempt to stage a military coup. Mainstream media is promoting a conspiracy that doesn't exist while ignoring that Brazilians are fully capable of protesting and distrusting institutions without being guided by US politicians.
