Escaping to travel… or traveling to escape?

As our readers and listeners have already seen, The Brazilian Report’s Explaining Brazil podcast this week delved into President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s global ambitions overshadowing his attention to the more-chaotic-than-usual domestic policies. 

In an attempt to diverge from former President Jair Bolsonaro’s diplomatic isolation and bring Brazil back to the world stage — something that was prioritized during Lula’s first two terms, from 2003 to 2011 — the center-left leader has been criticized for traveling and relishing international summits a little too much for comfort. 

To be fair, Lula has only had about a week of peace during his third presidential term: the days until the January 8 riots in Brasília in 2023. 

Ever since, his life hasn’t been easy. To say the least. 

Plagued by difficulties in negotiating with a very conservative Congress on matters such as the taxation of international purchases, legal aspects of abortion and drugs, and the floods in Rio Grande do Sul (one of the largest natural disasters in the history of Brazil), Lula sees himself consumed by multiple challenges. 

Last but not least, there are also some recent tensions with the Central Bank, yet another example of how difficult it has become for Lula to create a solid domestic agenda. 

Having a good performance at home is very important to the head of state. After all, Lula himself admitted that he seeks to run again in 2026 to avoid seeing “troglodytes” wearing the presidential sash. If he keeps prioritizing foreign over domestic politics, he runs the risk of losing the next election. 

Check out the creation of this cartoon on The Brazilian Report’s TikTok account (@brazilianreport).

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