What is the Alcântra Base in Brasil?

In 1980, the Brasilian Goverment created the Centro de Lançamento de Alcântra (CLA – the Launching Center in Alcântra)in Maranhão, dispossessing by decret an area of 52 thousand hectares, what will affect around 500 families, the majority are descendents from quilombolas who used to survirve from fishing and subsistence agriculture.
The quilombolas are communities that survived from the quilombos in that area, they have their own culture. The historical and cultural importance of those communities made the brasilian constitution in 1988 reconize their rights over this territory.
But, in Alcântra, around 3.600 families from this communities are threated by dispossessing, and part of them has already have their way of life been modificated. As Dorinete explains “the families from Alcântra used to live from fishing and agriculture, but today they are forbidden of doing such work, because they can not get inside the base area, at the place where they live, the researchs are too poor. The people are starving over there”.
In april 200, the Goverment from Fernando Henrique Cardoso signed an agreement with teh Goverment from USA to give them the cession of the Base, extended to 62 thousand hectares in 1990.
Because of the power from the Brasilian Constitution, the Agreement needs to aproved by the National Congress so the USA can ocupied the area. In 2001, the Commission of Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, from a report from the member of the house of representatives Waldir Pires, didn´t agree with the Agreement of Cession of the Alcântra Base by unamimity.
Later, the Agreement was approved by the Commission of Science and Technology, also in the House of representatives, from one to seem favorable of the Member of the house of representatives Jose Rocha.
in March of 2002, the Agreement was directed for the Commission of Constitution and Justice, having had as reporter the Member of the house of representatives Zenaldo Coutinho. The Agremment can be aproved by this Commission, it will be voted in a plenary at the chamber where the members of the house of representatives normally follow the orientações of this commission.
Some condictions of the Agreement
- There will be created restricted areas to the Brazilian territory controled by the United States.
- The north-americans will fiscalize the base. The USA will made the fiscalization “without an advance warning” to the brasilian goverment, not only the restrict areas but the areas for the launching of space-ships.
- Brasil will not be able to fiscalize the rest of the rockets in their territory, immediately having to return them the North American government.
- Brazil will not be able to develop space technology. Brasil will not have acess to the north-american technology and will be not alouded to develped its own, by itself on in partnership with other countries. Not even the rent money can be use to this ends.
- Brasil will not have control on what goes inside this Base. Nothing that goes inside the base can be inspected by Brazilian authorities, or either, Brazil will not have control on the material that the North Americans will use, therefore, will not have a way to stop the launching of missiles.
Which are the economics advantages from Alcântra:
For beeing close to the Equador line, space base from Alcântra is the more economic from all other bases in the world. For beeing close to the axle of rotation of the Earth, all the rockets comes from it with more speed, therefor, spend less gas.
Which are the politicals advantages from Alcântra:
To the United States, inside of their geopolitical of world domination, its the possibility to create a military base at the doors of the amazon florest, alowing the military domain over the area.