Global Profile: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Brazil’s Relational Populist Who Challenges the Global Order
The BRICS coalition is scaring Trump. And it should. Trump announced that any country allying itself with BRICS would face an additional 10% tariff. Ironically, it is because of Trump’s tariffs that BRICS is gaining momentum. This latest threat will help BRICS grow.
BRICS is a ten-nation bloc comprising almost half of the world population and 40% of global GDP. It is a direct threat to US power because it is moving to bypass the dollar and international organizations controlled by the US.
Leadership of BRICS rotates annually among member nations and this year, 2025, it is Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
This week, Lula, as he is popularly known, drew the line with Trump, stating, “The world doesn’t want an emperor” and giving nations an alternative to Trump’s intimidation, fear, and hate.
LULA
Lula is a product of Brazil’s contrasting culture. It’s informal but hierarchical, warm yet strategic, improvisational but loyal. In this context, Lula’s rise, from union leader to three-time president, is not an anomaly. He is the underdog who never forgot where he came from.
Brazil’s history of inequality, military dictatorship, and class struggle shaped Lula’s politics. But so did its Catholic infused morality, musical rhythm, and celebratory social ethos. Lula does not govern with rigid plans, but through relationships, he seeks alignment with the emotions, needs, and values of his base. Global elites find him unpredictable, and ordinary people find him trustworthy.
KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Poverty Reduction:
Through programs like Bolsa Família, Lula lifted over 30 million Brazilians out of poverty during his first presidency, transforming Brazil’s global reputation for inequality.Global South Diplomacy:
Lula has consistently pushed for reform of the UN Security Council and greater representation of developing nations in global institutions. His leadership of BRICS reflects a desire to rebalance global power.Environmental Mediation:
Though criticized for his earlier Amazon policies, Lula returned in 2023 with stronger environmental commitments, including rejoining the Paris Agreement and slowing deforestation through enforcement and indigenous partnerships.Economic Growth with Redistribution:
During his early 2000s presidency, Brazil saw high growth, record employment, and falling inflation, while expanding healthcare, education, and infrastructure.Peacebuilding Role in Global South:
Lula positioned Brazil as a neutral mediator in international conflicts, from Venezuela to Ukraine, offering dialogue over alignment.
CONTROVERSIES
Corruption Scandal (Operation Car Wash):
Lula was convicted in 2017 on corruption and money laundering charges. Though the convictions were later annulled by Brazil’s Supreme Court on procedural grounds, critics maintain he benefited from systemic corruption within the state-owned oil company Petrobras.Imprisonment and Return:
Lula served over a year in prison before being released in 2019. His comeback to the presidency in 2022 was hailed by supporters and condemned by opponents. The legal reversals fueled polarization and raised concerns about judicial credibility.Ambiguous Alignment with Authoritarians:
Lula’s neutral stances on leaders like Nicolás Maduro and Vladimir Putin have drawn criticism from Western democracies. While Lula frames it as non-alignment, critics accuse him of enabling authoritarian regimes.BRICS Currency Proposal Retraction:
Though initially supportive of a BRICS currency to challenge the dollar, Lula’s administration backed away under pressure from Brazil’s central bank and external trade realities.
SIGNATURE TACTICS
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva leads with connection, not coercion. His diplomacy is relational, coming from emotional intelligence and social rapport. Whether dealing with Brazil’s internal politics or negotiating on the world stage, Lula builds alliances through shared values and mutual respect.
His rhetoric reflects the same approach. Lula speaks to the daily realities of ordinary people: hunger, dignity, family. He rarely leads with metrics like GDP or budget deficits. Instead, he frames macroeconomic debates in personal stories, using emotion to mobilize empathy and action.
What sets Lula apart is his flexible pragmatism. He governs by impact, not rigid policy. If changing direction strengthens his coalition or delivers results, he’ll do it. This adaptability allows him to maintain broad support without sacrificing his core goals.
Lula sees Brazil as part of a larger rebalancing. He champions South-South solidarity and gives voice to the Global South. In promoting alternatives to US dominated systems like the World Bank, SWIFT, and the IMF, he envisions a multipolar world. His push for non-dollar trade is a major step toward long-term sovereignty for developing nations.
Through empathy, adaptability, and vision, Lula leads through connection.
CULTURAL DIMENSIONS PROFILE
Lula, in step with Brazil’s culture, has a strong orientation toward particularism. Rules are often treated as flexible guidelines. He governs through context and relationships rather than ideological rigidity. Decisions are based on circumstance and loyalty.
Equally central is Brazil’s collectivist orientation. Brazil’s urban elites may embrace individualism, but Lula’s base, working-class, rural, and marginalized communities, values shared destiny and mutual support. Social programs like Bolsa Família are framed as national solidarity, not charity.
His communication style also reflects Brazil’s high-context culture. Meaning is conveyed through emotion, tone, and cultural resonance rather than blunt facts. Lula uses metaphor, storytelling, and moral framing to connect with audiences. In Brazil, and much of the Global South, this kind of emotional intelligence is central to public trust.
Importantly, Lula’s orientation is toward harmony. Lula downplays competition and avoids aggressive posturing. He emphasizes inclusion, peace, and cooperation, hallmarks of Schwartz’s Harmony dimension. He often acts as a mediator between leftist factions, business interests, and international powers, seeking common ground.
His pragmatism reflects Brazil’s adaptive mindset, what locals call jeitinho brasileiro, or “the little way” of making things work. This flexibility is visible in his diplomacy with BRICS politics, his ability to shift policy priorities, and his cross-party coalition-building.
Lula is a blend of archetypal drives. At his core, he is the Communicator (East). He connects instinctively with people from all walks of life, farm workers, union members, world leaders. He makes politics feel personal.
Complementing this is Lula’s strong expression of the Caregiver (Green) archetype. His politics are driven by empathy for the poor and marginalized. Lula’s lifelong mission has been to reduce hunger, expand healthcare, and give voice to those the system ignores.
He is also politically ambitious, the Power-Seeker (North) archetype. But more balanced than dominant. Lula has always had a strategic mind and a clear desire for national and global influence. He led Brazil through its most significant rise on the world stage in the 2000s and now seeks to shape a multipolar order through BRICS. However, his ambition operates through negotiation, not coercion. His goal isn’t to control others, but to elevate Brazil’s place in the world.
This makes Lula one of the most relational and emotionally intelligent leaders on the global stage. Lula offers a different model: empathetic leadership.
CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE & GLOBAL IMPLICATIONS
Lula is a symbol of a world in transition. As US dominance comes to an end and multipolarity rises, Lula’s relational and strategically non-aligned voice is resonating louder.
His rejection of Trump’s “emperor” mindset is a cultural clash. Trump governs through intimidation, domination, and personal glory; Lula governs through connection and cooperation. His remarks at the 2025 BRICS Summit signaled a broader movement: the Global South will no longer be coerced into alignment. They will choose their own path.
For the US, Lula is a threat. For the South, he is the one who can challenge power without becoming the enemy.
Is the world ready for a leader who governs not by force, but by feeling and trust?
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