Interamerican Dialogue discusses Foreign Policy of Bolsonaro

UPCOMING EVENT

Foreign Policy in Bolsonaro's Brazil Monday, February 11, 2019, 6:00-7:30 PM JHU SAIS Kenney Auditorium (1740 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036) While Bolsonaro is still defining his approach to regional and world affairs, he seems ready to discard many of Brazil’s long-established foreign policies and turn away from the principles that underlay them. The new president and his foreign minister have called for a reversal of Brazil’s traditional assertion of independence in global affairs, and its efforts to build cordial relations and partnerships with countries ranging across the ideological spectrum. Instead, Brazil’s recently installed government has made clear that it wants to build a close alliance and strong partnership with the United States on a wide range  issues, while potentially disrupting relationships with other long-term partners, including China and the countries in the Middle East. Join the Inter-American Dialogue and Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) for a discussion of what's next for Brazilian foreign policy under President Bolsonaro. Follow this event on Twitter at #BrazilFP and @The_Dialogue. Speakers:  Peter Hakim, President Emeritus, Inter-American Dialogue  Riordan Roett, Professor Emeritus, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies Filipe Campante, Bloomberg Distingushed Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University (@FilipeCampante) Brian Winter, Editor-in-Chief, Americas Quarterly (@BrazilBrian) Moderator:  Monica de Bolle, Director, Latin American Studies Program, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (@bollemdb) A reception will follow the event

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International Relations and Foreign Policy of Brazil - works by Paulo Roberto de Almeida

Como no caso anterior, uma listagem simples de trabalhos em inglês, francês e espanhol, mas a partir de 2007, para ficar apenas nos mais recentes (e ainda assim exite certo overlapping com a lista do post anterior, mais completa e mais extensa)...
(arquivo em pdf, neste link)

PAULO ROBERTO DE ALMEIDA
International Relations and Foreign Policy of Brazil
A selection of works in English, in French, and Spanish (from 2007)
Up to date: June 5, 2011

2234. “L’historiographie économique brésilienne, de la fin du XIXème siècle au début du XXIème: une synthèse bibliographique”, Brasília, 5 janeiro 2011, 14 p.; rev. Porto Alegre, 8/01/2011, 17 p. Contribution à la revue Matériaux pour l’histoire de notre temps (BDIC); Spécial Brésil: historiographie et histoire.

2207. “Never Seen Before in Brazil: Lula’s grand diplomacy”, Shanghai, 18 outubro 2010, 20 p. Revista Brasileira de Política Internacional (vol. 53, n. 2, 2010, p. 160-177; ISSN: 0034-7329; link: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-73292010000200009&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en; pdf: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/rbpi/v53n2/09.pdf). Relação de Publicados n 1013.

2202. “Now, an Economic Cold War: Old Realities, New Prospects”, Shanghai, 13 outubro 2010, 4 p. FRA, Revista de Ciencias y Humanidades de la Fundación Ramón Areces; Monográfico: “Mas Allá de la Crisis: El Futuro del Sistema Multilatearal (Madrid: Fundación Ramón Areces, Diciembre 2010, p. 116-120); blog Diplomatizzando (23/01/2011; link: http://diplomatizzando.blogspot.com/2011/01/economic-cold-war-artigo-pra-publicado.html). Relação de Publicados n. 1015.

2193. “Global Governance and Institutional Reform: a personal view”, Shanghai, 26 setembro 2010, 7 p. Joint Symposium: “Beyond the crisis: the future of the multilateral system” (Fundación Ramón Areces and OECD Development Centre; Madrid, 4-5 October 2010); blog Diplomatizzando (link: http://diplomatizzando.blogspot.com/2010/10/governanca-global-e-reformas.html e http://diplomatizzando.blogspot.com/2010/10/governanca-global-e-reformas_06.html).

2184. “La diplomatie de Lula (2003-2010): une analyse des résultats”, Beijing-Shanghai, 28.06.2010; Shanghai, 4.07-18.09. 2010, 14 p. Analyse critique de la diplomatie brésilienne. Publié In: Denis Rolland, Antonio Carlos Lessa (coords.), Relations Internationales du Brésil: Les Chemins de La Puissance; Brazil’s International Relations: Paths to Power (Paris: L’Harmattan, 2010, 2 vols; vol. I: Représentations Globales – Global Representations, p. 249-259; ISBN: 978-2-296-13543-7); blog Diplomatizzando (http://diplomatizzando.blogspot.com/2010/10/relations-internationales-du-bresil.html). Relação de Publicados n. 998.

2172. “Brazil, from Emerging to an Emerged Country: A critical assessment of Lula’s diplomacy”, Shanghai, August 14, 2010, 22 p. Article prepared for a special number of Revista Brasileira de Política Internacional on Lula’s diplomacy. Not published.

2160. “Balance Énergétique du Brésil: interview à France Culture”, Shanghai, 1 julho 2010, 5 p. Interview with Thierry Garcin, Radio France Internationale, “Les Enjeux Internationaux”, Blog Diplomatizzando (http://diplomatizzando.blogspot.com/2010/07/balance-energetique-du-bresil-paulo-r.html). Relação de Publicados n. 980.

2148. “The Foreign Policy of Brazil under Lula”, Shanghai-Hangzhou, May 27-30, 2010, 9 p. Answers to a PhD. Candidate at LSE.

2134. “Política exterior: potencia regional o un actor global”, Shanghai, 14 abril 2010, 7 p. Colaboración a dossier especial de Vanguardia (Barcelona; www.vanguardiadossier.com) sobre Brasil. Diplomatizzando (28.06.2010; link: http://diplomatizzando.blogspot.com/2010/06/brasil-potencia-regional-o-ator-global.html).

2128. “Attraction and Repulsion: Brazil and the American world”, Shanghai, 8 abril 2010, 9 p. Debate by Sean Clark e Sabrina Hocque, What Lies Ahead?: Debating the Prospects for a ‘Post-American World’, commenting Fareed Zakaria:The Post-American World (New York: W.W. Norton, 2009). Publicado in: Clark, Sean and Sabrina Hoque (eds.). Debating a Post-American World: What Lies Ahead? (London: Routledge, 2011).

2112. “España y Brasil: reconocimiento y relaciones en el siglo XIX”, Brasília, 16 fevereiro 2010, 20 p. Ensayo para obra sobre la firma de los tratados de reconocimiento y amistad entre España y las repúblicas latinoamericanas en el siglo XIX, bajo la dirección de Carlos Malamud, del Instituto Elcano de Madrid. Para publicación en la série “América Latina en la historia contemporánea", patrocinada por Fundación Mapfre y Santillana”.

2060. “Brasil y su Política Exterior: una intervista periodistica”, Brasilia, 12 novembro 2009, 2 p. La Nación, Chile - Sección Internacional; blog Diplomatizzando (03.03.2010; link: http://diplomatizzando.blogspot.com/2010/03/1740-politica-exterior-de-brasil.html#links).

2043. “Entretien sur le président Lula”, Brasília, 9 setembro 2009, 8 p. revue Décideurs (http://www.magazine-decideurs.com/magazine/). Blog Textos PRA (17.09.2009; link: http://textospra.blogspot.com/2009/09/518-entrevista-revistda-francesa-sobre.html). Décideurs, Blog Diplomatizzando (17.09.2009; link: http://diplomatizzando.blogspot.com/2009/09/1380-entretien-sur-le-bresil-pour-la.html); “Lula: orateur par excellence”, Décideurs: Stratégie Finance Droit (Paris: n. 109, octobre 2009, p. 13; ISSN: 1764-6774). Relação de Publicados n. 930.

2028. “The question of Ossetia and Russian intervention: a personal Brazilian view”, Brasília, July 23, 2009, 8 p. Answers to questions submitted by Yulia Netesova, European Bureau Chief of the Russian Journal. Divulgado no blog Diplomatizzando (22.11.2009; link: http://diplomatizzando.blogspot.com/2009/11/1532-russina-intervention-in-south.html ).

2023. “Non-Intervention: a political concept, in a legal wrap: a historical and juridical appraisal of the Brazilian doctrine and practice”, Brasília, 8 Julho 2009, 17 p. (7.090 palavras). Blog Textos PRA (03.03.2010; link: http://textospra.blogspot.com/2010/03/569-brazil-and-non-intervention-paulo-r.html).

2020. “Le Brésil à deux moments de la globalisation capitaliste et à un siècle de distance (1909-2009)”, Brasília, 30 junho 2009, 25 p. International Symposium “Inequalities in the World System: Political Science, Philosophy, Law”, São Paulo, 3-6 de setembro de 2009; Cebrap. Blog Textos PRA (03.03.2010; link: http://textospra.blogspot.com/2010/03/570-le-bresil-deux-moments-de-la.html).

2008. “Financial Architecture of the Post-Crisis World: Efficiency of Solutions”, Brasília, 22 maio 2009, 7 p. Answers to questions presented by researcher from the Post-Crisis World Institute Foundation, Moscou (Michael Mizhinski). Blog Diplomatizzando (03.03.2010: link: http://diplomatizzando.blogspot.com/2010/03/1741-financial-architecture-of-post.html).

1999. “The share of the United States and Brazil in the modern civilization: A centennial homage to Joaquim Nabuco’s commencement speech of 1909”, Urbana, 23 abril 2009, 15 p. Paper presented at the Symposium: Nabuco and Madison: A Centennial Celebration (Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin, April 24-25, 2009); Available at link: http://www.pralmeida.org/05DocsPRA/1999NabucoMadison.pdf.

1996. “Brazil’s role in South America and in the global arena”, Urbana, 13 abril 2009, 7 p. Answers to questions presented by a M.A. Candidate 2010 of the Latin American & Hemispheric Studies Elliott School of International Affairs - George Washington University. Blog Diplomatizzando (13.04.2009; link: http://diplomatizzando.blogspot.com/2009/04/1063-turismo-academico-13-brazils-role.html).

1983. “Mercosur-European Union Cooperation: A case study on the effects of EU activities and cooperation with Mercosur on regional democracy building”, Brasília, 2 fevereiro 2009, 26 p. Paper prepared for a Project of International IDEA to map out and analyze the perceptions on the European Union as an actor in democracy building, as seen from the EU's partner regions. Blog Textos PRA (03.03.2010; link: http://textospra.blogspot.com/2010/03/571-eu-activities-and-cooperation-with.html).

1950. “Les Brics et l’économie brésilienne : Interview pour la Chaire des Amériques – Université Paris I”, Brasília, 11 novembro 2008, 6 p. Links: (a) Brics: http://www.economie-et-societe.com/article-24982794.html; (b) Brésil: http://www.economie-et-societe.com/article-25122338.html.

1942. “La puissance américaine vue d'Amérique Latine”, Brasília, 21 outubro 2008, 2 p. Interview à Radio France Culture, journaliste Thierry Garcin (Paris: émission le 29.10.2008, à 7h15, 10 minutes; link: http://www.radiofrance.fr/chaines/france-culture2/emissions/enjeux_inter/fiche.php?diffusion_id=66840).

1902. “Brazil in the world context, at the first decade of the 21th century: regional leadership and strategies for its integration into the world economy”, Rio de Janeiro, 26 junho 2008, 22 p. Publishedo as “Brazil in the International Context at the First Decade of the 21st Century: Regional Leadership and Strategies for Integration”. In: Joam Evans (org.), Brazilian Defence Policies: Current Trends and Regional Implications (London: Dunkling Books, 2009, p. 11-26; ISBN: 978-0-9563478-0-0; link: http://www.pralmeida.org/05DocsPRA/1902BrForPolicyStrategies.pdf). Relação de Publicados n. 935.

1900. “Brazil: Mileposts to Responsible Stakeholdership”, Brasília-Tóquio, 24 junho 2008, 53 p. Joint text, written with Miguel Diaz, for the project “Mileposts to Responsible Stakeholdership” of the Stanley Foundation (http://www.stanleyfoundation.org/); published at the website of the Project “Powers and Principles: International Leadership in a Shrinking World” (November 3rd, 2008; link: http://www.stanleyfoundation.org/articles.cfm?ID=504), under the title: “Brazil's Candidacy for Major Power Status”, by Miguel Diaz and Paulo Roberto Almeida, with a reaction by Georges D. Landau (Muscatine, IA: The Stanley Foundation, Working Paper, November 2008, 24 p.; link: http://www.stanleyfoundation.org/powersandprinciples/BrazilCandidacyMPStatus.PDF). Published in book form as: “Brazil's Candidacy for Major Power Status”, with Miguel Diaz. In: Michael Schiffer and David Shorr (Eds.). Powers and Principles: International Leadership in a Shrinking World (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2009, 328p.; Co-published with: The Stanley Foundation; ISBN Cloth: 978-0-7391-3543-3; $85.00; ISBN Paper: 978-0-7391-3544-0; $32.95; p. 225-250). Link: http://www.pralmeida.org/01Livros/2FramesBooks/109StanleyBook2009.html. Relação de Publicados n. 897.

1890. “Brazil and the G8 Heiligendamm Process”, 18 maio 2008, 31 p. Published with Denise Gregory, in Andrew F. Cooper and Agata Antkiewicz, Emerging Powers in Global Governance: Lessons from the Heiligendamm Process. Waterloo, Canada: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, Studies in International Governance Series, October 2008, p. 137-161; ISBN: 978-1-55458–057-6. © 2008 The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and Wilfrid Laurier University Press; Available at: http://www.press.wlu.ca/Catalog/cooper.shtml).

1868. “Brazil’s Integration into Global Governance: The rise of the Outreach-5 countries to a G-8 (plus) status”, Brasília, 9 março 2008, 29 p. Published, with Denise Gregory , as “Brazil”: Growth and Responsibility: The positioning of emerging powers in the global governance system (Berlin: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, 2009, 126 p.; ISBN: 978-3-940955-45-6; p. 11-30; link: http://www.kas.de/wf/en/33.15573/-/-/-/index.html?src=nl09-01). Trabalhos publicados n. 887.

1859. “Questionnaire on the G8 Summit Reform Process”, Brasília, 12 fevereiro 2008, 3 p. Answers and comments to a questionnaire on the Heiligendam Process (expansion of G-8 countries to the outreach 5) and global governance reform, presented by Prof. Colin I. Bradford, Jr. (Brookings Institution, Washington, and Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), Waterloo, Canada). Not published.

1856. “Brazil and Global Governance”, Brasília, 30 janeiro 2008, 17 p. Colaboração a trabalho a ser apresentado pelo CEBRI para centro de estudos do Canadá (Centre for International Governance Innovation - CIGI). Not published.

1811. “The Foreign Policy of Brazil under Lula: Regional and global diplomatic strategies”, Brasília, 30 setembro 2007, 25 p. Published as “Lula’s Foreign Policy: Regional and Global Strategies”, chap. 9, In Werner Baer and Joseph Love (eds.), Brazil under Lula (New York: Palgrave-Macmillan, 2009, 326 p.; ISBN: 970-0-230-60816-0; p. 167-183; link: http://www.pralmeida.org/05DocsPRA/1811BrForPolicyPalgrave2009.pdf). Publicados n. 811.

1748. “Brazil as a regional player and as an emerging global power: Foreign policy strategies and the impact on the new international order”. Briefing Paper, series Dialogue on Globalization (Berlin: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, July 2007; link: http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/iez/global/04709.pdf). Publicados n. 780bis.

O Ego Inflado do Brasil (ja se sabe por quem) - Miami Herald

THE OPPENHEIMER REPORT
Brazil needs dose of constructive paranoia
BY ANDRES OPPENHEIMER
The Miami Herald, September 18, 2010

There is a consensus among foreign policy pundits that Brazil is the upcoming world emerging power. Maybe so, but only if it can overcome a potentially fatal domestic obstacle -- hubris.
That was one of the main conclusions I drew from a panel titled ``Brazil: A rising power,'' during the Miami Herald/World Bank Conference of the Americas last week, where several experts debated whether Brazil will inevitably continue its meteoric rise to world prominence.
There is no question that Brazil is on a roll, at least for now. Things are going so well that even President Luis Inázio Lula da Silva recently proclaimed -- only half-jokingly -- that ``God is Brazilian.''
The economy is expected to grow by a healthy 5 percent this year, the country has recently found some of the world's largest offshore oil reserves, and Brazil has won the bids to become the host to the 2014 Soccer World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, which will give Brazilians a unique chance to promote their country abroad.
Time magazine -- in an excess of journalistic hype -- recently named Lula as ``the most influential person in the world.'' The British weekly, The Economist, had earlier carried a cover story titled ``Brazil takes off,'' noting that sometime over the next 14 years, Brazil is likely to rise from its current status as the world's eighth largest economy to the fifth largest, surpassing Britain and France.
PREDICTABLE COUNTRY
Two new books published in the United States this month -- Brazil on the Rise, by New York Times reporter Larry Rohter and The New Brazil, by Johns Hopkins University Professor Riordan Roett -- generally agree with such optimistic projections.
At the Conference of the Americas' panel, all participants stressed that Brazil has finally become a predictable country, where governments from various parties have maintained economic policies over the past 16 years, generating confidence and drawing growing domestic and foreign investments.
That will not change after next month's presidential elections, which will likely be won by Lula's Worker's Party candidate Dilma Rousseff, they said.
Several panelists pointed at potential dangers, including an outdated infrastructure, and poor education levels. Some cautioned that the ruling Worker's Party may become so overconfident if it wins by a landslide that it may revert to nationalist-statist policies of the past, and that Rousseff -- if elected -- may not have Lula's charisma to rein in ultra-leftists within the party.
``One thing that worries me a little bit is that I see in the Worker's Party a little bit of triumphalism,'' said Rohter, who was one of the panelists. ``There is almost a hubris, a sense that they invented the wheel, an unwillingness to acknowledge the role that the commodities boom has played in the success of the last 16 years.''
That is leading some sectors of the ruling party to think that Brazil can keep growing without foreign investments in key areas, such as oil and agriculture, he said.
COOLHEADED POPULATION
Will hubris derail Brazil's recent progress? I asked him. Rohter said he doubts it, because despite the triumphalism in some government sectors, Brazil's population remains coolheaded, if not skeptical.
``One of the healthy things that have happened is that Brazilians are no longer talking about Brazil as ``the [world's] country of the future,'' but of ``the fifth power,'' he said. ``That's a much more realistic goal.''
My opinion: I hope Rohter is right, because one of the things I noticed in my recent trips to China and India is that the two emerging world powers have one thing in common -- a widespread belief that they are behind other world powers in almost everything.
In almost every interview with Chinese and Indian officials, I was struck by their concerns that their respective countries are not expanding their education, science and technology sectors as fast as other countries, and that they are falling behind. I haven't seen the same humbleness in interviews with Brazilian officials.
The Chinese and the Indians have a healthy dose of constructive paranoia, which drives them to constantly improve themselves. Unless Brazil adopts that same attitude and avoids the complacency that may result from so many outside prophecies about its inevitable rise, it will never become a true emerging world power.

Brazil's Foreign Policy: not so praised, anymore...

The Folly of Brazil's Exceptionalism
Daniel Wagner and Tyler Rouillard
The Huffington Post, 10 August 2010

Brazil has been referred to as a regional superpower and an emerging global power, and President Lula has been called the most popular politician in the world by President Obama. But is Brazil's and its President's status well deserved, and have they lived up to their reputation? This article will argue that the answer is 'no' to both questions.

Rather than having earned its much vaunted position among political and economic pundits, Brazil has achieved its status based more on potential than economic performance, and while President Lula has certainly earned his popularity in Brazil, on the global political stage, he has made a mess of things.

To BRIC, or not to BRIC - That is the Question
Goldman Sachs first coined the term "BRICs" in 2001, instantly catapulting Brazil into emerging regional superstar status, which was puzzling since Brazil was in the middle of a financial crisis at the time. Its $210 billion foreign debt equaled 38% of the country's GDP, per capita GDP was just $2,800, and its real GDP growth rate was just 2.7% that year. The value of its currency had plunged by 29% from the previous year, and in 2002 -- the year Lula da Silva was first elected President -- the country took out a $30 billion financial assistance package from the IMF.

Based on its economic performance, Brazil did not deserve to be placed on the same pedestal as China and India. Goldman undoubtedly threw Brazil in the pot because of its 'potential' as an emerging regional power. However, based on its economic performance, Brazil still does not deserve to be in the same company as the other BRIC countries. Consider this:

Brazil's average GDP growth rate from 1997 to 2001 was just 2.0 percent, and from 2002 to 2006, just 3.2 percent;
Its average GDP per capita actually fell from 4,100 between 1997 and 2001 to 4,000 from 2002 to 2006; and
Average annual foreign direct investment to Brazil also fell from 27 billion between 1997 to 2001 to less than 16 billion between 2002 to 2006 (Source: Political Risk Services).
The country's GDP growth rate actually only exceeded 4 percent once between 2001 and 2006, while Russia's, India's, and China's average growth rates for the period were approximately 7, 9, and 10 percent, respectively. Brazil's GDP growth in 2009 was -0.2%. Although Brazil is expected to reach 6 percent growth this year, through 2014 it is projected to revert back to its usual lackluster growth performance (by BRIC standards) of 3 to 4 percent (Source:Business Model International), while China and India are forecast to continue to try to tame double digit growth.

So it appears that Goldman erred by tossing Brazil into the BRIC pot and must have used different criteria for Brazil than it did for China or India. This raises question about the wisdom and validity of having created the term BRIC, and the aura that surrounds it.

A combination of government complacency, an inadequately developed regulatory framework, and a host of infrastructure bottlenecks prevent Brazil from achieving its full potential. Rigid labor laws, a byzantine tax system, and government domination of long-term credit markets conspire to prevent Brazil from breaking out of its well established pattern of below average economic performance. Having been lauded by investment banks for a decade, and having been rescued by the IMF - crisis after crisis -- for more than $40 billion since 1984, Brazil must feel it can do just about anything and retain its stature in the global arena.

Too Big for Its Britches

Politically, Brazil has simply gotten too big for its britches. The country's obvious regional importance and special status among global policy makers gave President Lula the confidence to leap on to the global political stage. Lula naturally sought to project Brazil's power globally, but based more on his popularity as a friend of the global worker than as a skilled statesman. Although Brazil has admittedly been a pivotal player in forming the G20 and played a significant role in WTO and climate change talks, it appears to have bitten off more than it can chew.

Brazil's foreign policy since 1985 has been based on three pillars of achieving autonomy: through diversification of relations with other nations, by maintaining a distance from the liberalizing international order, and participation in international forums. For Brazil, independence is paramount, and in foreign policy, it wants to be all things to all people. As a result, a tendency to 'double deal' with its international partners in order to protect itself has become endemic in Brazilian foreign policy over the past 25 years (Source: Gabrial Capaluni and Tullo Vigevant, Brazilian Foreign Policy in Changing Times).

By embracing Iran and attempting to broker with Turkey the low-enriched uranium swap to France, he has chosen to give priority to Brazil and Iran's $2 billion trade relationship over Brazil's decades-long relationship with Washington. As a result, Lula has burned a lot of political capital with Brazil's second largest trading partner (the U.S.). The attempted exchange with Iran demonstrates clearly that Brazil will pursue its own path, even though it is clearly not yet ready to assume a leading role in superpower politics. As Brazilian foreign affairs analyst Matias Spekor has noted, "Foreign policy requires intellectual capital, and Brazil is ill prepared to engage in a globalized world."

Brazil's attempts to play a broker role in Honduras, when former Honduran President Zalaya was thrown out of power in 2009, and more recently between the Israelis and Palestinians, also both failed - the result of the Brazil overstepping its bounds and sticking its nose where it doesn't belong. In his desire to be all things to all people and maintain a diverse range of bilateral relationships, Lula has gotten himself caught on a rather slippery slope and is causing potentially long-term damage with some of its most important allies.

Pursuit of Autonomy vs. Adversarial Role
Brazil's desire to achieve autonomy in foreign affairs is not new, but a number of historical and current examples makes one wonder whether its pursuit of 'autonomy' in foreign affairs makes the country an ally or adversary of the West. For example, Brazil first embarked on a nuclear program in the 1930s and pursued a covert nuclear weapons program until the 1970s. It retains the ability to create nuclear weapons but agreed not to do so under the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Agreement, and as a signatory to the 1994 Treaty of Tlatelolco, which bans nuclear weapons in Latin America. But Brazil continues to have a program to produce enriched uranium for power plants, and opened its first uranium enrichment plant in 2006.

In its negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the time, Brazilian negotiators did not want to allow inspection of its centrifuges, arguing that doing so would reveal technological secrets. Following extensive negotiations, the IAEA relented and agreed not to directly inspect the centrifuges, but rather the composition of the gas entering and leaving the centrifuges. Brazil won a significant victory and the U.S. was forced to resort to merely stating that it was "sure" Brazil had no plans to develop nuclear weapons.

If Brazil decided to pursue a nuclear weapon today its centrifuges could be reconfigured to produce enough highly enriched uranium to produce nuclear weapons. In addition, Brazil has ambition to develop a nuclear submarine fleet, having authorized the construction of a prototype submarine propulsion reactor in 2007. So Brazil has similar proliferation capability as Pakistan and North Korea but is seen as a 'team player,' having gotten a green light as one of the good guys from the IAEA and the United States, while actually having manipulated and emasculated both for its own benefit.

Consistent with its strategy of strengthening ties with poorer countries, Brazil has either abstained or attempted to substantially dilute a number of human rights resolutions in the United Nations. In February 2010, Lula visited Fidel Castro, referred to Cuban human rights hunger strikers as common criminals, and defended Cuba's treatment of political opponents.

This is ironic, since Lula got into politics as a result of being a union leader, and led similar strikes against Brazil's military government in the 1970s. According to Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas Director of Human Rights Watch, "outside of non-democratic countries like China, Brazil has become the biggest obstacle nation to advancing universal human rights and freedoms." Is this really the reputation Brazil means to forge for itself over the long-term?

Aid Recipient and Provider
As developed countries have done for decades, Brazil is now using its new position in the world to attempt to influence poorer countries by dispensing aid. According to The Economist, Brazil now commits more than $4 billion per year in foreign assistance (including disbursements from Brazil's aid agency --the Brazilian Cooperation Agency--, contributions to individual countries and other aid organizations). That is more than China and about as much as 'generous' developed countries, such as Canada and Sweden. In that regard, Brazil is keeping good company.

Spending by the BCA has trebled over the past two years and recipient nations are quite happy to receive the aid, since Brazil does not impose western-style conditions. Unlike China, which focuses its aid on infrastructure and natural resource extraction, Brazil targets its assistance more on social programs and agriculture, which resonates well with local populations.

Since Brazil is also a recipient of aid, the country's new role as aid giver has helped blur the distinctions between aid recipients and donors. This is consistent with Brazil's tendency to want to shake up the ancient regime and redefine what is means to be a developing country. But it is entirely possible that, as was the case with China, Brazil's foray into development assistance could come back to bite it later.

Its Own Worst Enemy
In spite of all the hoopla over Brazil as one of the world's globalization poster boys, its worst enemy is itself. Brazil has yet to sustain mid-to-high single digit GDP growth rates as the other BRIC countries have done, and looks no better poised to do so in the second decade of the 21st century than it did in the first.

Brazil's inexperience on the global stage, combined with Lula's desire to project Brazilian power, has led to a series of mistakes that are perhaps best described as reckless. By trying to shape the world to reflect its own world view, Lula has succeeded in ringing alarm bells in Washington and the capitals of Europe. That cannot help its objective of gaining a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

The Brazilian government would be well advised to steer clear of the established powers' neighborhood until such time as it is genuinely accepted as a member of the club, and can demonstrate that it has something meaningful to offer by becoming engaged in the most sensitive diplomatic issues of the day.

Daniel Wagner is Managing Director of Country Risk Solutions, a political and economic risk consultancy based in Connecticut. Tyler Rouillard is a research analyst with CRS and provided research for this article.