Bonum Certa Men Certa

Cablegate: Brazil's “Anti-American Ideology”

Cablegate



James Monroe



Summary: The largest population in America is characterised as having an anti-American government

Wikipedia describes the Monroe Doctrine as follows: "The Monroe Doctrine is a policy of the United States introduced on December 2, 1823. It stated that further efforts by European countries to colonize land or interfere with states in the Americas would be viewed as acts of aggression requiring U.S. intervention (however, the wording referred to the entire Western Hemisphere, which actually includes much of Europe and Africa). The doctrine was introduced by President Monroe when he was enraged at the actions being executed around him.[1] The Monroe Doctrine asserted that the Americas were not to be further colonized by European countries but that the United States would neither interfere with existing European colonies nor meddle in the internal concerns of European countries. The Doctrine was issued at a time when many Latin American countries were on the verge of becoming independent from the Spanish Empire. The United States, reflecting concerns raised by Great Britain, ultimately hoped to avoid having any European power take over Spain's colonies."



In due time, the American nation came to be almost synonymous with the United States, whose citizens were also referred to as "Americans". This popularised the perception that to be American is to inherit rules exclusively from the US. This has not been an exceptionally popular idea in South America and we still see colonialist corporations like Microsoft labelling some South American countries as "anti-American" when it suits them (e.g. when they reject OOXML as in this case). Yes, Microsoft has been trying to characterise ODF, which is backed almost exclusively by large US-based businesses, as a matter of "anti-Americanism". We covered cables about that. Today we expand on this by showing the ethanol push inside Brazil. American billionaires drive some of that controversial idea (turning food into fuel) and we loved the end of the first cable, which quotes economic columnist Alberto Tamer as saying that "the future for agribusiness and Brazil is near. We must know how to act and not make mistakes again, as we have always done - especially under this government obstinate in its anti-American ideology."

What's with this phrase? Is this a code word for "against imperialist multinational"? Banana Republic anyone? These slurs that Microsoft uses to daemonise Microsoft sceptics/critics are reminiscent of the "Free software" as "communism" insult, which we found in some other Cablegate cables. In any case, here is what we have today:










VZCZCXYZ0016 OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSO #0107 0431139 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 121139Z FEB 07 FM AMCONSUL SAO PAULO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6406 INFO RHEHNSC/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 7496 RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO PRIORITY 7780 RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC 2704

UNCLAS SAO PAULO 000107

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE INR/R/MR; IIP/R/MR; WHA/PD

DEPT PASS USTR

USDOC 4322/MAC/OLAC/JAFEE

E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR [Media Reaction Reporting], OPRC [Public Relations and Correspondence], OIIP [International Information Programs], ETRD [Foreign Trade], BR [Brazil] SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: WESTERN HEMISPHERE: VISITS OF NICHOLAS BURNS AND GEORGE BUSH TO BRAZIL; SAO PAULO

€¶1. "There is No 'Free' Alliance"

Liberal, largest national circulation daily Folha de S. Paulo's International Editor Claudia Antunes commented (2/12): "The failed occupation of Iraq led many international relations experts in the US to conclude that the Americans, different from the British and the French in the past, have no appetite for classic colonialism. Immediately after the occupation, a thesis was disseminated according to which a division of tasks would be necessary: the US would provide the force and its allies, led by the Europeans, would be responsible for the 'construction of states.' It is in this scenario that Under Secretary Nicholas Burns' recent statement in Sao Paulo, that Brazil must think about becoming a 'global security provider,' is inserted. Someone must perform 'humanitarian' tasks so that Washington can intervene in 'bankrupted states' - but such manpower is lacking.... Burns' discreet suggestion subtly included in Bush's 'positive agenda' for South America is a good reminder for those who believe in the feasibility of a total alignment with the US.... The US is unquestionably the world's largest economy and the only military power. But the brief 'unipolar moment' that followed the Cold War no longer exists. The euphoria of global growth and economic interdependence may disguise reality, but what one can see is an accumulation of forces everywhere for a disturbed future. It is hard to imagine alliances that are not tactical."

€¶2. "Ethanol Brings the US Closer To Brazil"

Center-right national circulation daily O Estado de S. Paulo remarked (2/11): "Under Secretary Nicholas Burns' visit to Brazil last week made clear that the US wants Brazil to become its privileged interlocutor in South America. In this context, the Brazilian know-how in ethanol production is working as a bridge in the rapprochement between the Bush and Lula administrations. In addition to its diplomatic importance, this alliance may represent an encouragement to the marketing of ethanol as a fuel at the very moment when the world is discussing alternatives to the use of oil. President Bush will visit Brazil in March to settle this strategic rapprochement with the Lula administration. He has already made clear in several speeches his intention of reducing the US dependence on oil."

€¶3. "Bush will Bring Investment"

Economic columnist Alberto Tamer maintained in center-right national circulation daily O Estado de S. Paulo (2/12): "Brazil has an immense possibility of opening a new market in the US. It is a so important an opportunity that Bush will visit Brazil mainly to negotiate agreements to bring investments to the Brazilian ethanol sector.... He wants to buy our ethanol as soon as possible. Not that he loves Brazil, but because for the first time in recent history the US needs our ethanol, our biomass, as much as we can produce. This is another consequence of the Iraqi war and the boom of oil prices.... Bush is not speaking alone.... Major investors such as George Soros and Bill Gates have entered the ethanol business, first in California and now in Brazil.... The Virgin Group has plans to invest USD 400 million and build ethanol plants in the US. And this is just the beginning. The future for agribusiness and Brazil is near. We must know how to act and not make mistakes again, as we have always done - especially under this government obstinate in its anti-American ideology." McMullen







Here is another related cable from the following month:








VZCZCXRO3060 PP RUEHRG DE RUEHBR #0788/01 1141900 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 241900Z APR 06 FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5190 INFO RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 1928 RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 6808 RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 4648 RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 3952 RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 5447 RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 5369 RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 6189 RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 2953 RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ 4520 RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 3209 RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 3709 RUEHGE/AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN 1043 RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 1787 RUCPDO/USDOC WASHDC RHEBAAA/USDOE WASHDC RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRASILIA 000788

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EWHITE OES/EGC AND PKELLY OES/STC; OES/ETC GTHOMPSON USDOE FOR SLADISLAW DEPT PLEASE PASS TO USTR FOR MSULLIVAN DEPT PLEASE PASS TO USAID FOR LAC/AA USDOC FOR 4332/ITA/MAC/WH/OLAC/JANDERSEN/ADRSICOLL/MWAR D USDOC FOR 3134/ITA/USFCS/OIO/WH/RD/DANDERSON/SHUPKA

E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TRGY [Energy Technology], SENV [Environmental Affairs], ENRG [Energy and Power], KSCA [Science Counselors and Attachés], ETRD [Foreign Trade], EAGR [Agriculture and Forestry], BR [Brazil] SUBJECT: THE ETHANOL DILEMMA - INADEDQUATE SUPPLY VS GROWING DEMAND

€¶1. Summary: As countries worldwide search for alternatives to increasingly expensive petroleum, not to mention green fuel alternatives that help meet Kyoto Protocol targets, Brazil finds itself in an enviable position. The world's largest producer of both ethanol and sugar is the purveyor of technology, infrastructure and processes that could help fuel a biofuel revolution. In fact, Brazil's ethanol program is so successful it has drawn the likes of Bill Gates and Google's founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, into the fray, promoting expanded ethanol production in the United States. Yet, despite the monumental success of ethanol in Brazil, it is not happening without some growing pains.

€¶2. Brazil now finds itself in the unforeseen position of not having enough supply to satisfy demand. The unanticipated flex-fuel boom in Brazil coupled with increasing international demand for ethanol is exerting serious pressure on Brazil's domestic production apparatus. Sales of flex-fuel cars reached approximately 80% of new vehicle sales in 2005. The resulting increase in demand for ethanol necessarily led to price increases. Moreover, ethanol exports increased by 1.8 billion liters in 2005 (a 269% jump over 2004). This facet of increased demand is compounded by the fact that foreign importers are offering a price 8-10% higher than Brazil's internal market. During the current interharvest period supplies are limited and prices have skyrocketed, leaving Brazilian consumers and officials with little hope for price reductions until production renews at the end of April. Taken as an omen, one of the most pressing questions facing Brazil is how to create an infrastructure which can deal with the escalated demand for ethanol. End Summary

€¶3. The question of how Brazil intends to address this supply and demand issue is still up for debate. In conversations with Scioff, Angelo Bressan, Director of the Ministry of Agricultures sugar/alcohol division, noted that the GoB has only two ways to regulate ethanol. The first involves adjusting the requisite amount of ethanol to be mixed in gasoline. The GoB recently utilized this approach dropping the percentage from 25 to 20%. (reftel) Although this measure increased supply, it had little to no effect on prices. A second option would be to regulate ethanol exports by, for example, linking exports to domestic stocks via a system of quotas, but leaving prices free. This argument has been negatively received both by industry and free market advocates within the GoB. Unica (the Sao Paulo Sugarcane Industry Association) believes that this mechanism would not be able to function without government interference in pricing. Bressan noted that the GoB and industry have had an open dialogue focusing on how to address the problem of supply but without any decisive outcomes as of yet.

€¶4. The sugar/alcohol industry, for its part, is looking to expand both the area of planted cane and the industry's capacity to refine it. Preliminary estimates are that US$ 14 billion is going to be invested into refineries that can crush and produce sugar/alcohol by 2011. Meanwhile, another US$ 7 billion is being invested into expanding cultivated land. Bressan added that 11 new refineries are already under construction with an additional 16 planned for 2007. That said, the analgesic effects of these investments are still some years away. Because it is not cost-effective to transport cane long distances, refineries and agricultural lands must remain in close proximity. Once a distillery is completed, there will still be a 12-15 month lag time (the crop cycle for cane) before production commences. Moreover, the upward swoop of land prices in cane producing regions (49% over the last year, compared to the national average of 2%), is certain to become an obstacle to the expanding industry.

€¶5. This, of course, does not address the GoB's principal concern of how to maintain competitive prices for ethanol during the interharvest period. Bressan has stated that the GoB and industry are discussing palliative measures but failed to expand on what they

BRASILIA 00000788 002 OF 002

were. They are simply "discussing the issue." The most prominent idea, reflected in numerous media accounts, is to create stockpiles of sufficient size to guarantee supply. While the industry and government agree to the idea in concept, both sides dispute who should be responsible for creating mechanisms and supplying the necessary funding for the stocks. While Roberto Rodrigues, Brazil's Minister of Agriculture, initially said that the government was studying inexpensive financing mechanisms for creating stocks, he later retracted those comments affirming that stocks are the responsibility of the productive chain.

€¶6. In terms of Brazil and the United States, and the growing attention exhibited by parties like Gates, Brin and Page, and rising interest in California, Bressan noted that the Ministry would like to see U.S. tariff barriers dropped on combustible ethanol. But, he stated, it needed to be done in a systematic fashion. He fears that when the U.S. market opens, Brazilian consumers will be adversely affected by a dearth in supply resulting from profit hungry exporters. Bressan further maintained that the GoB has an interest in creating a world market and that the U.S. and Brazil should work together to achieve that goal. He added too, that countries, including the U.S., have a vested interest in working with Brazil because of the "know-how" they have regarding the production and processing of ethanol.

€¶7. A crucial link in this process, from his perspective, will be spreading the supply chain throughout the developing world, especially in Africa and Asia. The U.S. and Brazil, he stated emphatically, are not capable of sustaining a world ethanol market on their own. That, of course, has not stopped the likes of Petrobras from signing a contract in February to build a pipeline from Goias (one of Brazil's principal cane producing regions) down to Brazil's largest port in Santos. A portent of how industry views the future role of ethanol.

€¶8. Comment: In the short-term, it is clear that alcohol induced euphoria will continue the industry's ascension. As the world's largest producer of sugar and alcohol, Brazil is taking measures to increase production and at least discussing how to satisfy supply in the boom time. In response to the crisis over the last four months and the elevated prices, the GoB has recognized its impotence and is "throwing in the towel", waiting for the new harvest. This is currently underway, and greater supplies of ethanol are expected in filling stations by early May. End Comment

LINEHAN







Discussion about ethanol itself is better off left to experts in the field. Notice that Bill Gates is named in both aforementioned cables.

Recent Techrights' Posts

This Saturday It's Gonna be 3.5 Years* Since Russia Invaded Ukraine. No Microsoft Protests Against Microsoft Having Provided Russia With Services.
Companies do not have consistent policies and enforcement of "corporate values" is somewhat of an egg salad
Slopwatch: Sites Gone Rogue, Google Promoting Lies, and DDoS Attacks by Plagiarism Giants
Charlatans and frauds engage in a war against artistic industries, mislabeling plagiarism as "AI"
End of the Smartphone Era? No.
Maybe the media should focus on producing accurate, factual news
Latest Is Not Greatest: The Case of "Foldable" Tech
don't be shamed into abandoning old things just because the "fashion industry" of Apple and Samsung tells you to
 
Microsoft Has Issues in Guyana
It's not just Guyana
About 25% of the "Linux" News/Results in Google News Today Are LLM Slop, Almost 20% From the Same Rogue Operators of Slopfarms
Google, which tries to market itself as an LLM giant, apparently fails to understand what's wrong with it
Harassing People on Holiday
There are "no-go areas"; but that assumes all laws firms have ethical standards
The Great, Undeniable Value of Paper Trail, Not Purely Digital Systems
Suppose you have nothing but bits on someone else's computer and "word of mouth"...
The Company Behind Ars Technica, Reddit and Wired Caught Publishing LLM Slop (It Also Admits It Now)
Condé Nast busted
Links 22/08/2025: Lagrange 1.18.8, Wired Magazine and Business Insider Caught Resorting to LLM Slop
Links for the day
Links 22/08/2025: Cisco Layoffs, LA Times Says "AI Hype is Fading Fast"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 22/08/2025: K for Kentucky and Caddy Versus LLM Slopbots
Links for the day
The "End Software Patents" Initiative of the FSF Explains "WHY [to] ABOLISH SOFTWARE PATENTS"
We hope to cover patent-related issues more and more as the big anniversary of the FSF approaches
Freenode Sniffing
The grown-ups left the building
The Only Thing Worse Than Misinformation is Misinformation Sold to Everyone as "Intelligence"
Misplaced trust is worse than none at all
The Register MS Now Openly Admits LLM Hype Does Damage, But It's Also Being Paid to Participate in the LLM Hype (With Paid 'Articles' and 'Webcasts' for Paying Advertisers)
The Register MS gets paid to do this
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, August 21, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, August 21, 2025
Enshittification of Airports, Airlines, and Airplanes
If people are willing to tolerate standard declines and enshittification (nowadays sold as "pivot to AI" or "replaced by AI" or "AI layoffs") they will pay for it some other way
Airlines and Their Tricks That Only Work in the 'Digital Age'
People sceptical of the direction technology has taken are not "Luddites"
Open Source Initiative (OSI), Which Became a Propaganda Front of Microsoft and "Hey Hi" (Hype, Misnomer), Wants You to Forget These Scandals
A lot of these issues won't be set aside until there's a resolution
The Culture of Overnight Coding
An industry-wise push-back is needed
Windows Down to New Lows in Guinea Bissau and Many Countries Around It
If Android is accounted for, Windows is down to about 10%
Gemini Links 21/08/2025: Modern Dating, Debian 13, and Apache
Links for the day
Microsoft Has Had About 10 Waves of Mass Layoffs So Far This Year (Not Two as Mainstream Media and Slopfarms Endlessly Claim)
Notice how the MSM (Mainstream Media) never mentions the debt of Microsoft. It is a conscious, deliberate decision.
Links 21/08/2025: Covid Cases on the Rise, "Social Media Trolls", Russia's Attacks Intensify
Links for the day
Gemini Links 21/08/2025: The Attraction of Back Alleys, Initramfs, and BSD ISPs
Links for the day
Links 21/08/2025: Stephanie Shirley Dies and "Groklaw Domain Hijacked?"
Links for the day
Search in 2025 (Age of DDoS Attacks Under the Guise of "AI" "Innovation")
One common concern when things go "live" is that any random bot out there can execute queries, pumping up RAM and CPU usage, as happened when we used MediaWiki and WordPress
Using Slop for Images Does Not Make Your Site Look Advanced or Witty, It Just Makes Your Whole Work Look Like Presumed Plagiarism
Lazy slobs and Serial Sloppers use the guise/excuse of "AI" to plagiarise and spam the Web
Financing of the "Hey Hi" (AI) Bubble by Those Who Profit From Planetary Destruction (Global Warming)
It's about personal gain, too
Richard Stallman Will Speak in Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress
it's good to see that the FSF pays considerable respect to it founder, who is moreover invited to speak at events
(At Least) Second Wave of Mass Layoffs in Microsoft This Month
This is not the first time this month that Microsoft has mass layoffs
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, August 20, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, August 20, 2025
IBM Operatives Inside The Register MS and More Shady Money to Follow
The Register MS bites every banknote it can sink its teeth into
On the Internet, Nobody Knows Microsoft and Windows Are Becoming Niche Players Until Data is Shown Correctly, Not Microsoft-Sponsored Articles in Microsoft Publishers
Microsoft controls a lot of publishers and thus it controls information
Slopwatch: Serial Sloppers and Slopfarms in Google News (e.g. Linux Journal and WebProNews)
Google plays an active role (if not deliberately then through utter neglect and carelessness) in plagiarism
Links 20/08/2025: Mass Surveillance Framed as "Artificial Intelligence" (All Old Things Reworded to Misframe Old Computer Issues), Europe Resists Capitulation to US(SR)
Links for the day
Gemini Links 20/08/2025: Trips and Permacomputing
Links for the day
Links 20/08/2025: Oracle Layoffs in India, "AI" Scammers/Profiteers Admit It's a "Bubble", Softbank-Saudi (Oil) Control Tech Companies
Links for the day
Social Control Networks Give You False Metrics to 'Addict' You To Them
Leaving social control media may seem hard, but the same is true for any other addiction
A Lot of What Happened in Twitter Was Bots, Botfarms, and Troll Farms. It's Even Worse Now (Under X.com) and People Are Noticing.
Last month we said the same was happening in YouTube
Microsoft May Have Become - at Least Partially - Like a Boiler Room Scam
Giving imaginary salaries using imaginary tokens based on imaginary value (with restrictions on conversion to cash)
In Vietnam, Microsoft's Search Engine "Market Share" Fell to Almost 0%, CocCoc More Than 5 Times Bigger
Why are people still investing in this company?
All That's Left of MSNBC (Microsoft-NBC) is Microsoft NOW
When plutocrats and large corporations (even deep in debt) buy all the communication channels
The Register MS, Paid to Promote "AI" Hype, Does "Sez" (Says) Pieces
every bubble-funded "news" site tries to make it a story about "AI"
Many Companies Are Run by Liars Who Ride Other People's Money
Or steal it
Before CoreAI There Was Builder.ai
GitHub isn't about "AI" (just a bunch of lies and storytelling for shareholders' patience)
Microsoft Windows in Croatia at New Lows
We've been keeping track of this trend for a while
Using the Best Tool/s for the Job: RSS Feeds and RSS Readers
Use RSS feeds. Reject those "modern" Web things
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, August 19, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Gemini Links 20/08/2025: Neovim, XML, and Alhena 5.2.9
Links for the day