The dismantling of the national project
Octavio Ianni enlightens us by assessing the energy crisis
within the Brazilian historical context

ALVARO KASSAB

A reverent silence filled the auditorium of the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences (IFCH), on June 18, during an international seminar on Latin America. One could hear the metallic clanking of chairs and the unmistakable sounds of the external hubbub, typical of these occasions. The deference had a name, surname and a history of coherence: the word had just been passed on to Octavio Ianni, professor emeritus at Unicamp.
It didn't take half an hour for the audience, made up mostly of young people, to feel rewarded. It was a brilliant class from what is considered one of the most renowned intellectuals in the country. Uncompromising concepts flowed in a style that brought together the telegraphic, the visceral and the witty. New insights into geopolitics, economics, history and their derivatives were debated by this 75-year-old Ituanian, much of it dedicated to the uncompromising defense of democratic ideals, translated into works that became classics of Social Sciences.

In the following interview, given to Jornal da Unicamp, Ianni analyzes the energy crisis with his usual sharpness, classified by him as “the final straw in the process of dismantling the national project”. For the professor, by unconditionally adopting the neoliberalism manual, the government became a hostage of transnational capital and multilateral organizations. In his statement, Ianni also describes this dependence, which he says began during the military dictatorship, and criticizes the role of the media.

Jornal da Unicamp – How do you see the energy crisis?
Octavio Ianni – Strictly speaking, the energy crisis is just one aspect of an exceptionally critical situation that Brazilian society is experiencing. In a way, the energy crisis expresses a deeper, general crisis in the way in which the government is managing the Brazilian economy and society.

Q – Could you explain?
R – What is fundamentally at stake is that the government's systematic program of privatization, alienation and decision-making centers follow guidelines that are not simply those of the IMF, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization. They also belong to transnational corporations.

Q – What does this mean?
R – It involves a profound change in Brazilian economic, social and cultural policy. In other words, what is happening is a total abandonment of the national project that had been developed in previous decades. A process that had already begun since the Proclamation of the Republic, but which, strictly speaking, entered an exceptionally important cycle from 1930 to the 60s. And this national project, which has already suffered serious setbacks, went through serious difficulties during the military dictatorship , began, with the civilian governments, since the first, and now, with the two terms of the current government, to be radically abandoned.

Q – In what sense?
R – What happens is that the State's ability to define objectives, to implement guidelines, became totally dependent on the assessments not only of multilateral organizations, but also of transnational corporations, which now have a very important voice in the way in which the government takes decisions. We all know that the energy crisis is an immediate, direct consequence of the way in which this government adopted neoliberal guidelines. So, it can be said – and this is the main point – that the energy crisis is only a fundamental expression and, perhaps one could say, the outcome of the process of dismantling the national project.

Q – Do you understand that the nation project was definitively abandoned?
R – The national project means that, from a certain moment, in a very evident way since 1930, with the first Vargas government, and even with the Vargas dictatorship, measures were adopted in order to boost the economy and develop economic sectors beyond agriculture . We all know that until 1930 Brazil was largely, almost completely, dependent not on agriculture in general, but mainly on coffee growing. And this was a source, at the same time, of conveniences, alliances, accommodations and serious problems. The crises in the international coffee trade had disastrous repercussions on the country's economy and social situation.

Q – How, in your opinion, did the rupture occur?
R – What has happened since 1930 in a more obvious way was the adoption of measures to stimulate the development of other sectors of the economy, while protecting the coffee economy. Naturally, other elements come into play, such as wars, but what occurred was an increasingly evident development of the industrial sector and, of course, the services sector and state-owned economic enterprises.

Q – Which ones?
R – Companhia Siderúrgica de Volta Redonda, Eletrobrás, Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, Fábrica Nacional de Motores, among others. There was a large number of initiatives through which private and government sectors boosted the economy as a whole. And this was accompanied, from the 30s to the 60s, by initiatives in the cultural area, in the university area, and labor legislation.

Q – Could you name the initiatives?
R – CLT is an initiative that is located precisely in this context. It dates back to 1943. What happened then was a very strong national project. Erratic, with problems, including favoring some sectors to the detriment of others, but there was a project..

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