Jair Bolsonaro

Conventional pundit wisdom has it that Donald Trump's "America First" approach to foreign policy - unilateral, transactional, dismissive of history - has isolated the United States like never before.

President Jair Bolsonaro on Aug. 23 authorized the deployment of Brazil's armed forces to help combat fires raging in the Amazon rainforest, as a growing global outcry over the blazes sparks protests and threatens a huge trade deal.

Amid global concern about raging fires in the Amazon, Brazil's government complained on Aug. 22 that it is being targeted in smear campaign by critics who contend President Jair Bolsonaro is not doing enough to curb widespread deforestation.

The fires in the Amazon represent an "international crisis" and should be among the key topics that G7 leaders will address during their meeting, which begins tomorrow.

This was tweeted by French President Emmanuel Macron, who is hosting the forum, which will be held in the French city of Biarritz.

The Brazilian tropical forest in the Amazon is suffering a record number of fires this year, according to new data from the National Space Agency.

The National Space Research Institute (INPE) says its satellite images show an 83% increase over the same period in 2018.

The number of forest fires in Brazil surged in the first eight months of 2019, official data show, as President Jair Bolsonaro faces growing criticism over rampant destruction of the Amazon.    

Brazil has officially opened talks on a trade deal with the US, said Brazilian Economy Minister Paulo Guedes, quoted by Reuters.

Guedes said the negotiations are compatible with the recent trade agreement reached with the European Union.

If there's one thing that unites the people of the world today, it's anger at establishment politicians. Over the last decade, this anger has fundamentally reshaped global politics at both the national and international levels. Anger in the US led to the election of Donald Trump; anger in Ukraine led to the election of a professional comedian and sitcom star.

This handout picture released by the Brazilian presidency shows US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (C) meeting with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (L) at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, on January 2, 2019. Photo by Marcos CORREA / Brazilian Presidency / AFP)

On that occasion, Dacic talked with Bolsonaro about bilateral relations between the two countries and their further improvement.

On the margins of the inauguration, Dacic had a series of meetings with senior world officials attending the ceremony, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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