What does the hasty use of the principle of reciprocity by the Brazilian foreign ministry tell us about Nicaragua? The community of scholars of Brazilian foreign policy was shocked when they learned of the expulsion of Ambassador Breno da Costa by the Nicaraguan government. We were much more surprised by the automatic use of the principle of reciprocity and the consequent expulsion of the Nicaraguan Ambassador to Brazil, Fulvia Patricia Castro Matu. Situations like these should be handled with a little more analysis and dialogue, not to mention diplomacy.
Daniel Ortega's government shows visible signs of alignment with Maduro's government, disputes a strategic position with Panama and El Salvador in Central America and, it seems, has managed to destabilize our diplomacy precisely at a time when it is seeking balance and regional consensus. to guarantee the legitimacy of the Venezuelan electoral campaign. It is nothing new that Ortega wants to test America's political leaders regarding the degree of legitimacy that each one will attribute to their government. He denied the “agreement” to the possible United States Ambassador in Managua not long ago. Not even because of that, the United States expelled the Nicaraguan ambassador in Washington.
The principle of reciprocity is not absolute and does not need to be used as a mathematical and automatic formula. Ortega managed to leave Brazil in a contradictory position with its neighbors. Nicaragua is not isolating itself, as it has been isolated for a long time. She is just aligning herself with Maduro's government and testing how far countries' balance will go in dealing with critical situations across the continent.
Renata de Melo Rosa
Renata. Interesting perspective. I'm curious: Why do you label Brazil's decision as hasty? Would Itamaraty normally wait a certain period of time before applying reciprocity? Thanks