ONE CHOSE THE AXIS OF GOOD, THE OTHER OF EVIL--WHO DO YOU THINK FARED BETTER?:

Quietly, Brazil Eclipses an Ally (SIMON ROMERO and ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO, 7/08/08, NY Times)

[M]r. da Silva has steadily peeled himself away from Venezuela’s leader and quietly supplanted him as he nurtures Brazil into a regional powerhouse.

Today the two leaders, often partners but sometimes rivals, offer starkly different paths toward development, and it is Brazil’s milder and more pragmatic approach that appears ascendant. Amid the decline of American influence in the region, the Brazilian president is discreetly outflanking Mr. Chávez at almost every turn in the struggle for leadership in South America.

Mr. Chávez has been nationalizing foreign companies and trying to assemble an anti-American bloc of nations. His regional credentials suffered last week, though, when his ideological rival, President Álvaro Uribe of Colombia, organized a dramatic rescue of 15 hostages held in the jungle by Colombian rebels.

Mr. da Silva has diversified Brazil’s already strong industrial base and created an ample political coalition with almost a dozen neighbors. Huge recent oil discoveries in Brazilian waters have allowed him to blunt Venezuela’s efforts to use its oil largess to win influence. Venezuela’s economy has shown signs of stumbling, while its dependence on trade with Brazil has intensified.

The key to Brazil’s success has been a lucky confluence of global economic trends, like rising demand for commodities like soybeans and sugar-based ethanol, but also the quiet stewardship of Mr. da Silva, a former auto plant worker. He has raised Brazil’s profile across the region in part by adopting a less confrontational approach to Mr. Chávez than that of the United States.

Lula's adoption of the Third Way, of course, represents the continuing influence of America in the region, not decline.

Posted by Orrin Judd at July 9, 2008 10:58 AM