Brazil’s careful approach to the Venezuelan crisis

During an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday, Brazil reaffirmed its condemnation of the US raids in Venezuela that led to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro and his extraction from the country. Brasília framed the incident not as a geopolitical dispute but as a test of the international order itself.

Speaking at the council, Brazil’s ambassador to the UN, Sérgio Danese, rejected any attempt to justify the operation on utilitarian grounds. “The use of force in our region calls to mind chapters of history we believed had been left behind and threatens the collective effort to preserve the area as a zone of peace and cooperation,” he said.