BRASILIA - Published in newspapers in nine countries , the article in defense of Brazilian foreign policy and “multilateralism”, signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , was written at a time when the country was hosting the BRICS Summit and was the target of criticism for adopting a bias interpreted in capitals around the world as averse to the West.

The previous week, Lula had been harshly criticized in a report by the English magazine The Economist, to which he decided to respond with a letter from Foreign Minister Mauro Veira. The accusation of"inconsistency" spread in the West and disturbed the government.

Titled"There is no alternative to multilateralism," the article appeared simultaneously in European, Asian, and Latin American newspapers. The text was originally written by two diplomats from the Special Advisory Office of the President of the Republic, headed by former Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, and was read and revised by Amorim and President Lula.

The president wanted an article to summarize his ideas. The Presidency's Social Communications Secretariat also discussed the topic with the Foreign Ministry beforehand, to outline a strategy for incorporating the president's foreign policy vision.

Before the Planalto Palace decided on an article to outline Lula's foreign policy, Secom discussed whether there should be an interview with other leaders from the Global South or a joint article - something already tried in March with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

The article repeats principles and scenario assessments that Lula has routinely cited in his international speeches, also based on input, above all, from Amorim and his team.

Among them, the view that the international order created in the post-war period “collapsed”, the “trivialization” of the use of military force by members of the United Nations Security Council, the “failure” of neoliberal policies and the charge that rich countries “never fulfilled” the commitment to climate finance of US$ 100 billion annually and the criticism of the increase in military spending promised by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Alliance), after pressure from Donald Trump.

Although it contains messages to the American, the PT member's article does not point the finger blatantly at any international leader, nor does it attribute responsibility to any particular country.

The text calls for dialogue, through diplomacy, to"reestablish the structures" of the multilateral system, as opposed to unilaterally imposed decisions. Amorim often says that"multilateralism" represents in the international sphere what "democracy" represents in the domestic sphere.

According to people involved, the concept and writing were completed on Tuesday the 8th, in time for translations and distribution to media outlets around the world. It was published on Thursday the 10th, but the original plan was for it to appear in print on Wednesday the 9th.

Therefore, even before the President of the United States, Donald Trump, threatened by letter a 50% tariff increase on Brazilian exports - which only happened last Wednesday.

Although it wasn't addressed to the Republican's new threat, the article served as a response and gained prominence because it already contained the basis for the argument to respond to Trump, according to members of the Planalto Palace. There were no changes after the announcement from Washington.

"The law of the strongest also threatens the multilateral trading system. Tariffs disrupt value chains and plunge the global economy into a spiral of high prices and stagnation. The World Trade Organization has been hollowed out, and no one remembers the Doha Development Round," the article states in its third paragraph.

The opinion piece signed by Lula was published in Le Monde (France), El País (Spain), The Guardian (United Kingdom), Der Spiegel (Germany), Corriere della Sera (Italy), Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan), China Daily (China), Clarín (Argentina) and La Jornada (Mexico).

The Presidency of the Republic also attempted to publish the article in a US newspaper, but was unsuccessful. In some cases, embassies were contacted to facilitate contact with the publications.

Since last week, the Lula government has launched an offensive in the press and academia, through articles by its main foreign policy spokespeople.

In addition to the president, Amorim himself also wrote a text, not yet published, in defense of BRICS as the great novelty of multilateralism.