Open AccessTHE DECLINE IN BRAZIL’S INTERNATIONAL INFLUENCE: FROM AN EMERGING COUNTRY TO AN INWARD-LOOKING STATE
Author(s) -
Hélio Caetano Farias,
Leonardo Pace Alves
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
austral
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.161
H-Index - 5
eISSN - 2238-6912
pISSN - 2238-6262
DOI - 10.22456/2238-6912.100702
Subject(s) - geopolitics , setback , position (finance) , foreign policy , political science , state (computer science) , international relations , development economics , power (physics) , soft power , china , economics , politics , physics , finance , algorithm , quantum mechanics , computer science , law
Why has Brazil’s international influence subsided? From 2003 to 2014, Brazil fostered its socioeconomic development and pursued an assertive foreign policy that raised its international profile. Besides promoting regional integration, with Mercosur and UNASUR, Brazil played an important role in international coalitions such as the BRICS and the G 20. However, those initiatives have lost momentum from 2015 onwards. This paper aims to explain the decline in Brazil’s international influence. We hypothesize that Brazil’s politico-economic crisis, caused by domestic power struggles and international reaction to its ascent, has weakened its position as an emerging country. International systemic constraints are important, albeit not enough to account for such a setback. A comprehensive explanation needs to take in consideration both geopolitical factors and domestic power struggles.