Biden The Diplomat--Not!

Monica Showalter has a terrific piece at AmThinker this morning on a Biden 'diplomatic' gaffe--which, when you think about it, is always going to be a pretty predictable occurrence any time you have Biden doing 'diplomacy':

Mr. Diplomacy: Joe Biden manages to enrage Brazil

Using  a bit of 'muscle' on Ukraine is one thing, but it's a bad idea with Brazil. Just because Brazil is in South America, that doesn't mean it's a banana republic. Nor is it simply a giant tropical river system with attendant rain forest. And despite its many problems, Brazilians of all political stripes are certain to share President Bolsonaro's outrage at this type of treatment. Note in the Reuters dispatch that Showalter shares that Bolsonaro doesn't get into any partisan US politics--for him, as for most Brazilians, this is a matter of basic respect:

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro reacted angrily on Wednesday to U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s call for a world effort to offer Brazil $20 billion to end Amazon deforestation or face unspecified “economic consequences.

Bolsonaro wrote on Facebook he interpreted Biden’s comment in a U.S. presidential debate on Tuesday night as a threat of economic sanctions if Brazil did not take the offer.

Bolsonaro wrote in Portuguese and English that he does not accept “bribes” or “coward threats.”

The president said Brazil was taking action on deforestation and reasserted that he views foreign interest in the Amazon as financially motivated and an attempt to undermine Brazilian sovereignty.

“The greed of some countries towards the Amazon is a well-known fact,” Bolsonaro said.

“However, the explicit demonstration of this greed by someone who is running for the presidency of his country is a clear sign of contempt for cordial and fruitful coexistence between two sovereign nations.”

Showalter goes on to point out that Brazil is a huge, populous, resource rich nation that is both a long time ally as well as a significant world player in technology, adding:

Global leftists for years have claimed it the world's patrimony and other claptrap, claiming it belongs to them and the Brazilians can't stand it. Want to know why Brazil elected 'Tropical Trump'? That's why Brazil elected Tropical Trump.