Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro’s incoming foreign minister, Ernesto Araújo, called for the formation of a “nucleus composed of the three largest Christian countries” – Brazil, Russia, and the United States – in a document explaining to the President-elect what the administration’s foreign policy should look like. Titled ‘For a Foreign Policy of the Brazilian People’, the document is reported by Brazil’s Folha de S. Paulo newspaper as a main reason for Bolsonaro’s selection of Araújo for this senior cabinet position.

This nucleus would form the core of a broader “nationalist group” composed of Brazil, the United States, Italy, the Visegrad group (Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic), Russia, Japan, and India, which he described as an “anti-globalist BRIC without China”, in reference to the current BRICS bloc, which the new alliance would replace.

“There are countries that resist the demonization of national sentiment, the crushing of faith (especially of the Christian faith), which reject the emptying of the human soul, and its replacement by anemic dogmas that serve only the interests of world domination of certain elites,” he proclaimed.

The new formation would challenge what Araújo described as the “China-Europe-left American globalist axis”. In the letter, he focused much of his ire on China, calling for “pressure on all fronts” against its rising global influence.

“Condition any advance in the relationship with these countries to the exercise of religious freedom and basic political freedoms,” he declared. “Use international financial institutions to curb the growing reliance of developing countries on Chinese capital, turning the game of globalization against China.”

He also slammed the leftist regimes of Latin America, suggesting that the “liquidation of Bolivarianism in the Americas” should be a key goal of the incoming administration. Bolivarian socialism is the official ideology of the Venezuelan regime, and has since been exported to other countries in the region such as Bolivia and Nicaragua.

“Brazil could command the process of delegitimization of the Maduro government in Venezuela and apply total pressure, together with the US, for its replacement by a democratic regime,” Araújo added.

Araújo also took a Trumpian tone on trade and immigration. He stated that while he would not “deny trade”, he would “make trade policy an instrument of the state, not [make the] state an instrument of trade policy”.

He also suggested withdrawal from the United Nations Compact on Migration, expressing his desire for the “desacralization of immigration” as well as “combating the ideology of the ‘untouchable immigrant’ [and] the universal right to migration” which he believes are “overriding national sovereignty.” Bolsonaro has already vowed to withdraw from the compact upon taking office.

Araújo’s vision for a global front of nationalist states may seem far-fetched for now, but it is likely the only hope we have of thwarting the twin dangers of liberal globalism and the People’s Republic of China. His new post as foreign minister should give him plenty of opportunity to pursue the patriotic foreign policy agenda set out in the document.