In a nationally broadcast address marking Brazil’s Independence Day, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on September 7th delivered a stark message that frames national control over strategic assets as a core issue of sovereignty, strongly signaling a pivot toward resource nationalism in the world’s ninth-largest economy. President Lula da Silva stated plainly that Brazil “will not be a colony” and will not accept foreign interference in its economic decisions, demanding that the nation's immense natural wealth be used primarily for domestic development and social return, rather than merely as commodities for export. This rhetoric, delivered on a highly symbolic day, puts foreign energy and mining interests on alert as it suggests a greater, more interventionist role for the state in managing key sectors.