Soft Power, Hard Aspirations: the Shifting Role of Power in Brazilian Foreign Policy

• Main Authors: Marcelo M. Valença, Gustavo Carvalho
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazilian Political Science Association 2014-12-01
• Series: Brazilian Political Science Review
• Subjects: Brazilian foreign policy; United Nations Security Council; nuclear submarine; BNDES
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/bpsr/v8n3/1981-3821-bpsr-8-3-0066.pdf

Journalists and policy analysts have highlighted the emergence of Brazil as a regional power. However, little attention has been paid to its foreign policy strategies. Brazil's rise to prominence in world politics represents the historical culmination of a foreign policy featuring two main strategies – persuasion and consensus building – both of which emphasise the use of soft power. We analyse four current foreign policy initiatives: the campaign for a permanent seat on the UNSC; the development of a nuclear submarine; Brazil's leadership of the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti; and government support for Brazilian multinationals. We suggest a growing tension between these initiatives and the two strategies identified above. These initiatives reflect the view current among some policymakers that if Brazil is to rise as a global power it must play by the rules of great power politics.