{"id":415935,"date":"2026-08-25T15:35:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T18:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/?p=415935"},"modified":"2026-08-26T10:30:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T13:30:23","slug":"brazil-arab-nations-face-geopolitical-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/brazil-arab-nations-face-geopolitical-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"Brazil, Arab nations face geopolitical challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 The first panel of the 5th<\/sup> Brazil & Arab Countries Economic Forum<\/a>, organized by the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce<\/strong> (ABCC<\/a>), focused on \u201cEnergy, Geopolitics and Industrial Opportunity\u201d and featured six panelists moderated by Justin Alexander, director of Khalij Economics and an economist specializing in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The discussion centered on concerns over the impact of Middle East conflicts on the global economy, as well as the search for alternative solutions and business opportunities between Brazil and Arab countries.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Hussein
Hussein Kalout: Brazil has a strong diplomatic tradition<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In the opening presentation, Hussein Kalout, an adviser at the Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI), highlighted Brazil\u2019s strong diplomatic tradition and its stance on the conflict involving Iran, noting that as the world\u2019s 10th<\/sup>-largest economy, Brazil is a significant economic power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegarding the Middle East and the conflict, I see an irreversible transformation in security issues and in how countries in the region view the United States and Iran,\u201d he said. \u201cInternational law has lost its essence, leaving those who depend on it most vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kalout discussed the economic impact of the conflict, estimated at around half a trillion dollars and potentially reaching USD 2.5 trillion, and its global repercussions, including a surge in oil prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI see no end to the war in sight, and rebuilding mutual trust will take time,\u201d he said. Meanwhile, Arab countries need to seek security and economic alternatives, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Dania
Dania Arayssi: Alternative projects could help protect the economy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Dania Arayssi, program head and senior analyst at the U.S.-based New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, cited an alternative strategy emerging in the Middle East amid the conflict: the Four Seas project, which maps different routes across the Black, Mediterranean, Caspian and Gulf seas. She said her work also aims to engage Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon in oil production and exports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLebanon, for example, has refineries in the north that are currently idle, and there are talks about reactivating them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mohamed Ali Chihi, executive director of the Global Institute for Strategic Research (GISR), said the conflict\u2019s consequences for other countries in the region showed that \u201cwe cannot allow one country to shut down such an important trade corridor,\u201d referring to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe hope for a long-term, peaceful solution,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He cited Qatar\u2019s well-known mediation capabilities and stressed that Arab countries need to have a seat at the negotiating table, rather than remain mere spectators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bilateral trade<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Juliana Candido, senior tax studies and reporting specialist at Dubai\u2019s Department of Finance, and Frederico Lamego de Teixeira Soares, special adviser for international affairs at the National Confederation of Industry (CNI), focused on the wide range of business opportunities between Brazil and Arab countries. Candido highlighted the United Arab Emirates\u2019 low taxes as an incentive for Brazilian companies seeking to establish a presence in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe government is aligned with international practices but intends to keep taxes low precisely to position itself as an international hub,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Juliana
Juliana Candido: Dubai keeps taxes low to serve as an international hub<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Soares cited three sectors with promising potential for Brazil-Arab partnerships: critical minerals, defense and energy. On critical minerals, he highlighted MagBras, a consortium of more than 20 companies focused on rare minerals. On defense, he said Brazilian companies face difficulties doing business with Arab countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur companies are even willing to set up local plants and share knowledge, creating a win-win situation and giving Arab countries an alternative amid geopolitical challenges like those we face today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Drine Okba, sales manager at Tunisia\u2019s Groupe Chimique Tunisien (GCT), highlighted opportunities for Brazilian companies in the fertilizer sector, noting that Tunisia has one of the world\u2019s largest phosphate reserves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are investing to raise phosphate capacity to 9 million tonnes and expanding beyond our traditional partners,\u201d he said. He concluded: \u201cWe are open to partnerships. Come and get to know Tunisia!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The forum, organized by the ABCC, is sponsored by Fambras Halal, International Halal Academy, Vale, DP World, Cdial Halal, First Abu Dhabi Bank, MBRF Global Foods Company, Qatar Airways and MZAH Group Investment. Institutional supporters include the Arab League, the Union of Arab Chambers and the Federation of Industries of the State of Bahia. Cacilda Arag\u00e3o Tours is a partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read also<\/em>:
Uncertain landscape calls for Brazil-Arab ties<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Translated by Guilherme Miranda<\/strong><\/p>\n

Marcelo Brammer\/Arab-Brazilian Chamber<\/div>
Marcelo Brammer\/Arab-Brazilian Chamber<\/div>
Marcelo Brammer\/Arab-Brazilian Chamber<\/div>
Marcelo Brammer\/Arab-Brazilian Chamber<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first debate at the 5th Brazil & Arab Countries Economic Forum focused on the impact of Middle East conflicts on the global economy and alternative business solutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2309,"featured_media":416070,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[10044,48478,22644,9534,57836,19256,9994,36254,28860,26555,9621,34179,2099,12846,1810],"class_list":{"0":"post-415935","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-arab-countries-en","9":"tag-arab-brazilian-chamber-of-commerce-2","10":"tag-brasil-en-2","11":"tag-brazil-en","12":"tag-brazil-arab-countries-economic-forum-2","13":"tag-cebri-en","14":"tag-cni-en","15":"tag-cni-en-2","16":"tag-comercio-en-3","17":"tag-dubai-en-2","18":"tag-dubai-en","19":"tag-energia-en","20":"tag-energy","21":"tag-gcc-ar","22":"tag-trade"},"wps_subtitle":"The first debate at the 5th Brazil & Arab Countries Economic Forum focused on the impact of Middle East conflicts on the global economy and alternative business solutions.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2309"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=415935"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415935\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":416079,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415935\/revisions\/416079"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/416070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=415935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=415935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=415935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}