The Brazil-Mexico Dalliance Is More Hype Than Substance
Despite their political affinities, efforts to integrate Latin America’s two largest economies face broad strategic divergences.
Where is this geopolitical tease headed?
Photographer: AFP via Getty Images
You’d be forgiven for thinking Brazil and Mexico are rushing away from its rivalry and towards something that looks a lot like an alliance. But what’s blooming isn’t impulsive — it’s strategic.
Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his Mexico counterpart, Claudia Sheinbaum, have built a growing diplomatic rapport over the past 10 months, meeting four times at different events and holding a spat of phone calls. Contrast that with Sheinbaum's predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who skipped most summits. Sheinbaum even visited Brazil last year to participate in the Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, which López Obrador never did despite also having ideological similarities with Lula. Now, both governments are moving to deepen economic ties, with Brazil Vice President Geraldo Alckmin leading a delegation to Mexico in late August to explore potential commercial deals.