A vital component of any country’s foreign policy is the promotion of international affairs at the domestic level, specifically by valuing cooperation and participation in multilateral and bilateral spaces. But the actions of the Brazilian Alexandre Gusmão Foundation (FUNAG) suggest that the body currently considers the promotion of such cosmopolitan values outdated. What one can assume by its unfolding is that FUNAG is currently concerned with defending Brazilian society against a supposed international communist threat.
FUNAG is a foundation linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which seeks to increase citizens' awareness of foreign policy. Since the election of President Jair Bolsonaro, it has become clear that both bodies are expected to be blindly aligned with the far-right ideology of his foreign policy, such as the fight against the so-called ‘globalism’. But what has been expressed by FUNAG's actions goes beyond that..
In view of Brazil's declining credibility in the international arena, FUNAG seems to have embraced a new mission. It no longer shares information with citizens about the country's international projection, or encourages popular engagement in international issues. On the contrary, the content it promotes presents striking characteristics of Bolsonarista populism: the use of lavish speeches to reach its audience in a seemingly constant electoral campaign. After decades of self-determined pragmatic foreign policy, Brazil lags into a pro-Americanist and electoral foreign policy.
