Gender, grace and race ensured that the first female and the first Black presidents of Brazil and the US respectively hit it on, deliberates Gamal Nkrumah In South America, it is clear that Uncle Sam now punches below its weight. Its faltering response to the revolutionary dynamics of leftist politics in South America has exposed weaknesses and uncertainties in its foreign policies south of the Rio Grande. Historically power has tilted too far against the leftist forces in South and Central America. This encouraged the leftist sympathisers in the region to manipulate the groundswell of democratic transformation to gag the once unwelcome voices of the left. The rightist forces are feeling the pressure. Contemporary South American politics extend beyond a constricted and contested continent. What democratic, leftist South American statesmen and women do and say impacts international politics as never before. South American leaders have been the pioneers in championing the rights of the underdog in the global arena. South America has become politically comfortable in its international role and has become increasingly less self-absorbed. Brazil, a current member of the United Nations Security Council is looking forward to Washington's endorsement of Brasilia's quest for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Unlike say India, which also seeks a permanent seat on the Security Council, Brazil is confronted by no foreign or regional disputes -- such as India's with Pakistan -- and Brazil possesses no nuclear weapons. In short, South America is a power to be reckoned with on the world stage. Obama is paving the way to the forging of closer hemispheric cooperation at a critical historical juncture. Moreover, South America is fast emerging as a role model for those freedom seekers grappling with democracy and full citizenship rights in the Arab world. Paroxysm is not a quality one associates with the politics of emerging economies such as Brazil, China, India and Russia -- the BRICs -- all of whom have refused to parrot the line proposed by Washington at the UN of enforcing a no-fly zone on Libya. Puissant BRIC nations are potentially powerful but they do not yet have political clout especially in the military field. From the point of view of supporting peace and political stability in Libya and the protection of the civilian population of the North African country, the BRIC nations objected to the US and NATO military intervention, but they fell short of stopping the Western powers from staging the warmongering campaign against Libya. Brazilian reaction, for its part, reflects a sober consideration of the Western aggression on Libya. "Regreting the loss of lives because of the conflict, the Brazilian government hopes that an effective ceasefire be implemented as soon as possible to allow the protection of civilians and the start of dialogue," a Brazilian Foreign Ministry statement announced on the eve of Obama's visit to Brazil. The BRIC nations' abstention at the UN on the Libyan no-fly zone" imposed by Western powers demonstrates that they do not harbour imperialistic ambitions. They are uneasy about Western intentions but are coy about coming out openly against the naked Western oil grab. Brazil's level-headed response contrasts with Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez's tirade. "Who gave those [Western] countries the right to bomb Libya," thundered Chavez. The Venezuelan president condemned the "imperialistic, irresponsible, and indiscriminate bombing" of Libya by Western powers. Chavez likened the aggression against Libya to the tragedies of Iraq and Afghanistan. The analogy to Iraq is ominous. Western aggression in Libya is an infringement of the territorial integrity of a sovereign nation. It is not surprising then that South American critics of Western aggression in Libya have latched on to the imperialism in Western political posturing. Thousands of Brazilian demonstrated against Western imperialism in front of the US consulate in Rio de Janeiro before and during Obama's visit, burning an effigy of the US president, and braving police rubber bullets and tear gas. The protesters' outrage and concerns, as the Brazilian government acknowledges, should not be neglected. Politically and economically, the world has a lot to learn from South America. The continent's political maturity aside, it has emerged as an impressive economic powerhouse. South and Central America import $161 billion worth of goods from the US. Nevertheless, Washington is powerless to halt the fast growing economic and commercial ties between South America and the People's Republic of China that has displaced the US as the continent's main trading partner. Beijing, nevertheless, scrupulously avoids the substance of political reform, democratic choice, ideological competition and diversity. Brazilians are right to hold their democratic course. Washington and Beijing are failing to make a convincing case for their respective political agendas in Brazil in particular and South America at large. China is Brazil's largest trading partner, is the number one importer of Brazilian exports, and is expanding its economic influence in the Western Hemisphere. President Rousseff is scheduled to visit Beijing in April. If it is any consolation to Obama, the US, in turn, is the largest supplier of Brazil's imports. Dilma Rousseff personifies the new confidence and political defiance of Brazil. Yes, Brazil and all of South and Central America have embraced the political pluralism of the West and rejected the one-party hegemony of China, but the continent is eager to do brisk business with the People's Republic. The main focus of the newfound relationship between China and the Western Hemisphere is trade, and not politics. Rousseff is a representative of the refreshingly new political leadership now presiding over South America. She is a leader quite capable of rising above narrow personal and party interests and she is determined to lift the tone of public life in her diverse country. In the "City of God", the world famous Rio de Janeiro slum, Obama urged his hosts to reflect on the past and present. "The journeys of the United States of America and Brazil began in similar ways. Our lands are rich with God's creation, home to ancient and indigenous peoples." What Obama left out was much more to the point. Columbus and the Conquistadors practised genocide against the indigenous people. "From overseas, the Americas were discovered [read: plundered] by men who sought a New World, and settled by pioneers who pushed westward, across vast frontiers. We became colonies claimed by distant crowns, but soon declared our independence. We then welcomed waves of immigrants to our shores, and eventually after a long struggle, we cleansed the stain of slavery from our land." Read between the lines, the pioneers were no saints and slaves suffered centuries of indignity. Obama cleverly avoided the prickly question of US military presence in Columbia that has irked several South and Central American nations. Perhaps people do not appreciate that "the US was the first nation to recognise Brazil's independence, and set up a diplomatic outpost in this country." The first head of state to visit the United States was the leader of Brazil, Dom Pedro II. In World War II, our brave men and women fought side-by-side for freedom. And after the war, both of our nations struggled to achieve the full blessings of liberty." Obama is far from an embodiment of the pauperism projected in Black Orpheus a film set in a Brazilian favela, but he is a very personification of its hope. Brazil was Obama's first stop on his three- nation, five-day tour of South and Central America. From Brazil Obama flies to Chile and onwards to El Salvador before returning home. The two smaller countries are symbolically significant to the US. Chile is christened the capitalist success story of South America and El Salvador -- a veritable salvation from poverty and political demagogy. Brazil is smarting to improve the quality of public spending -- investment in education, infrastructure, development research and technical innovation as well as healthcare. "When men and women peacefully claim their human rights our own common humanity is enhanced. Whenever the light of freedom is lit, the world becomes a brighter place. That is the example of Brazil. A country shows that a dictatorship can become a thriving democracy," Obama told his hosts. The "no-drama Obama" image went down well in Brazil and South America as a whole. It reflected the visibly humbled hegemony of Washington south of the Rio Grande. A Black president paying abeyance to his counterparts, co- equals in South America. The imperialism of yesteryear has been relegated to cold storage. Brazil, current member of the United Nations Security Council, is marketing itself as a model for North African and Middle Eastern countries yearning to implement a democratic dispensation. America is mighty still. Yet, it is Brazil and not America that inspires the people of the Middle East and North Africa. The curious anomaly is that the US only musters punch in non-democratic countries such as Libya and the like. In South America, it is treated as an equal and cannot play the holier-than-thou game. Alas, Washington inspires still. Claudio Henrique dos Anjos and six other Black Brazilian politicians have changed their names to Barack Obama -- perhaps they suspect that it will enhance their political careers. Rinaldo Gaidencio comedian and Obama look-alike made the most of the American president's visit to his country. US friendship and cultural contacts are needed but the fact of the matter is that Washington's political message is faltering. Brazil, host of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, received its best accolade ever recently. After 50 years of brutish military regimes until 1985 when civilian rule was restored, Brazil was a euphemism for autocratic, fascistic dictatorship. Today the tables are turned, and it is a symbol of overcoming the evil of totalitarian government. Absolutism is rejected and abjection crushed. Brazil is a country whose political establishment can speak from experience of overcoming lack, mendicancy and militaristic tyranny. Obama paid tribute to the Brazilian miracle. "As two nations who have struggled over many generations to perfect our own democracies, the US and Brazil know that the future of the Arab world will be determined by its people," Obama told his Brazilian hosts. He was not as convincing when it came to urging his hosts to support ousting the Gaddafi regime in Libya.
