Published 08/22/2025 13:35 | Edited 22/08/2025 13:41
This Wednesday (21), teacher and geographer Elias Jabbour held a historic public class at the UFRJ Arena Theater in Praia Vermelha, bringing together over 300 people, including students, researchers and interested in the debate on the direction of world geopolitics. The central theme was the role of the BRICS in the redefinition of the international order and the growing clashes between China and the United States.
According to Jabbour, understanding the current dispute is essential to thinking about the future of Brazil. “BRICS expresses a multipolar world project. For the first time since the postwar, an international order is drawn that is not dictated exclusively by the United States. This has deep impacts on our national sovereignty,” he said.
The teacher stressed that recent measures announced by Donald Trump, such as the proposal for taxation on Brazilian exports, should be understood in this context of confrontation. “When Trump threatens to tax Brazil, it is not just an economic measure. It is a political message: Brazil cannot have autonomy, it cannot approach China, it cannot bet on its own agenda. It is an attempt to subordinate directly from our foreign policy,” he said.
In approaching the role of China, Jabbour stressed the centrality of the Asian country in the construction of this new order. “China is not just about markets. It disputes ideas, infrastructure, technology, monetary standards. It is China who today offers a concrete alternative to American hegemony, and Brazil needs to understand that its sovereignty also depends on how it will position itself in this board,” he concluded.
The event was part of a series of geopolitical organized debates, development and democracy, reinforcing the progressive field’s commitment to occupy public spaces to promote critical reflection on the great challenges of the 21st century.
Source: vermelho.org.br
