It is common to speak of “conspiracy theory” whenever someone reveals or denounces “irregular” practices or political maneuvers, hidden from the general public, and known only to insiders, or to the most knowledgeable people. And almost always when this expression is used, it is for the purpose of disqualifying the denunciation that has been made, or the very person who made public what was meant to be hidden, in the shadow of the story. But, in fact, there are not "conspiracy theories", but rather "theories of power", and "conspiracy" is just one of the most common and necessary practices of those who participate in the daily political struggle for power.
This conceptual distinction is very important for anyone who proposes to analyse the national or international political conjuncture, without fear of being accused of being a conspiratorialist. And it is a fundamental starting point for the research we are proposing to do into the real role of the US government in the 2015/2016 coup d'état in Brazil, and the subsequent election of Jair Bolsonaro, in 2018; it is necessary to follow the trail of conspiracy, which culminated in institutional rupture and change of government.
Our preliminary hypothesis is that this conspiracy began in the first decade of the 21st century, during the mandarinate of American vice-president Dick Cheney, although it intensified following Donald Trump’s inauguration, and the formulation of his “national security strategy” in December 2017.
