ORLANDO, FLORIDA: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's surprise reelection victory on Sunday dealt a harsh blow to US President Donald Trump’s "Donroe Doctrine," a plan to secure a US "sphere of influence" in the Americas against growing Chinese influence. The question now is just how much Brazil will tilt toward Beijing.
Trump's grand plans at the start of the year to solidify Washington's influence over Latin America were epitomized by US forces' extraordinary capture and extradition of Venezuela's leftist President Nicolas Maduro on January 3.
Lula's victory has thrown a spanner in the works. South America's most populous nation will be led for another four years by the veteran leftist and long-standing critic of US influence.
