This past week, Brazil made a move to work as a mediator between Iran and the West on the issue of nuclear enrichment and development. They also recently went to Israel to work as a broker on a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians. This is something that is not been heard of in recent times-a Latin American country working as a type of mediator between the West and the Muslim World. Traditionally, this has been the role of the United States and to a smaller extent Europe. Some in the U.S. may automatically be offended by this new direction; however, I see some great promise in this move by Brazil to play a vital role in the peace process for a number of reasons.
The first is that the U.S.in no way, shape, or form is seen as neutral in the issues as a country such as Brazil may be perceived. Let’s simply take the issue of the Palestinians and Israelis. It is hard for many people to see the U.S. as a fair broker when the U.S. has without hesitation fully supported Israel over the last 60 years, even at the expense of the Palestinian people. It is easy to see the skepticism when the U.S. comes to settle a new peace arrangement.
Second of all, there is already great antagonism against the United States from the beginning. With the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and years of U.S. actions in the region, anything the U.S. says is automatically taken with a degree of anger and resentment. Nations defy and do the very opposite what the U.S. wants in some incidents, solely because the U.S. says it. This is not the best environment to work through the very volatile issues of the Middle East.
Finally, having other nations that are involved in the peace process is healthy for everyone. Having one superpower that controls what goes on at the end of the day is not healthy for the superpower, the nations of the Middle East, or the overall world community. We will see how emerging powers such as Brazil help mold world events. Having said this, I do feel there still is a very vital role for the United States on the world stage. However, the world stage is starting to be occupied by other nations who are also leading the way in international relations. It is a new development that could be potentially promising for the future.
Essence Restored 