It was really exciting to see Dilma Rousseff's inauguration this weekend, broadcast live for the whole world to see. It wasn't just the fact that she's the first female president, but that she represents a whole new era for Brazil, as it rides a wave of prosperity and optimism.
I loved her speech, which you can read in its entirety here, and watch below:
Since the elections, I think Dilma's been able to prove that she's not a robot technocrat, and that while she may not have Lula's personality, she is able to connect with others and is more emotionally accessible than previously thought. In Brazil, where personality is very important for powerful figures and where the outgoing president is beloved for his ability to overcome social, geographical and language barriers to charm everyone from presidents to peons, it's critical that Dilma establishes a "rapport" with her people, and I think she achieved just that.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed her nearly bullet-pointed address, which to me read like a checklist of goals, which I understand is precisely the way she operates. While it's natural to spell out a list of promises, it was nice to hear them articulated, especially since during the campaign it seemed her agenda was to praise all of Lula's achievements and to avoid changing much of what his administration was already doing. Plus, I liked her pragmatic approach, with lines like this:
"Mas, em um país com a complexidade do nosso, é preciso sempre querer mais, descobrir mais, inovar nos caminhos e buscar novas soluções." [But in a country as complex as ours, it's necessary to always want more, discover more, innovate along the way and search for new solutions.]
There's still the issue of being taken seriously as a woman, especially since the media just loves to focus on the most ridiculous details that have nothing to do with her abilities as a leader (one of the latest examples: meet Dilma's hair stylist!) Also, she appealed to her sensibilities as a mother in her address, and it's been a subtle but recurring theme in her campaign the past year. Since Brazilian politics are traditionally paternalistic, I think she's hoping that it will translate in a similar way. Still, I think the fact that she's a woman is irrelevant, given that she's fully capable, very competent, and seems to have a great attention to detail that will make her a successful president. Also, I think she will eventually be able to step out of Lula's shadow and be able to take credit for achievements that are in fact her own, unlike her predecessor, who despite having a historical two terms, managed to take credit for much more than he was responsible for.
After her speech when Dilma met with foreign leaders, I was struck by her communication skills. Lula is incredibly skilled when it comes to dealing with people, whereas Dilma hasn't always been such a people person. But she won over all of the visitors, making some laugh and embracing others, and even managed to greet Hillary Clinton right before hugging Hugo Chavez, an order which I'm guessing was meant to show Dilma, too can handle the delicate balance of foreign relationships that Lula did. Plus, she seemed to be able to speak in Spanish and English with little to no help from translators, something her predecessor could not. As a proponent of languages, I'm sure this will definitely work in her favor as she approaches a different foreign policy.
So as Dilma begins her administration, I'd like to offer a few basic predictions, based on my own observations and that of foreign policy analysts. I think Dilma will continue with the same economic policies to ensure the economy continues to grow, but I think she will be stricter when it comes to foreign investment and foreign companies operating in Brazil, especially in the oil and gas sector. I expect she will try to put Petrobras under even more state control, and will continue the struggle to wrest state royalties away in favor of the federal government. I think her foreign policy will be less aggressive than Lula's, and that she will take a stronger stance on human rights in countries like Iran and maybe even Cuba (hopefully, she'll also tackle human rights issues at home). While she made several references to the environment in her inauguration address, I anticipate that this will not be an area where she will make much headway, and will instead cede to economic interests.
The bottom line is that Dilma really seems to be dedicated to putting Brazil's interests first, and she won't be afraid to defend the country to maintain its stability and growth. I think she may step on some toes and that it won't be smooth sailing the whole way, but she has the potential to do some really great work and to flex her muscles (figuratively speaking) as one of the world's most influential leaders.
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