Politica externa brasileira

Brazilian foreign policy: what's changed in this beginning of century

By Administrator

Fri, October 4, 2013 08:13

Continuing the series of news "Dilemmas and challenges of Brazilian international cooperation: an agenda under construction" the following text will present some observed changes in Brazilian foreign policy at the beginning of the 21st century.

Brazilian foreign policy over the last century was distinguished by the pursuit of autonomy and development of the country. Even if the development strategy adopted has been varied – agro-exporting model at the beginning of the 20th century; industrialization with strong protection of the State then; guidance by the logic of market at the end of the last century; and, currently, a model that keeps the previous guidance plus a position strongly directed towards the production of primary goods – these two orientations perpassaram all periods since the proclamation of the Republic.

But the issues relating to the relationship with other countries and international themes have remained relatively isolated from the public debate in the history of Brazil. The insulamento foreign policy structures in the State, as the Itamaraty, resulted in a dynamic in which the matters of international nature little involved or entered the agenda of domestic political actors, creating a false independence between internal and external affairs. Overcome this insulamento is one of the challenges put to the Brazilian civil society at the beginning of the 21st century.

Among the transformations of Brazilian foreign policy over the last twenty years, there is a resilience analysis via peripheral countries ' performance a mere reflection result of actions undertaken by the great powers. In addition, also noted a move away from traditional Brazilian history of alignment with the United States. Although this alignment was given pendulum way throughout history, now guided by a more ideological approach,