OBSERVARE

Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa

ISSN: 1647-7251

Vol. 2, n.º 2 (Autumn 2011), pp. 125-130

Notes and Reflections

BRIC COUNTRIES: BRAZIL, AN EMERGING POWER

Nancy Elena Ferreira Gomes

email: ngomes@ual.pt

PhD student in International Relations at the New University of Lisbon with a scholarship from the

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Holder of a Master Degree in International Relations from the

Technical University of Lisbon. Holder of a Bachelor Degree from the Central University of

Venezuela. Assistant Lecturer in the Department of International Relations at Universidade

Autónoma de Lisboa since 1995. Permanent Researcher at OBSERVARE. Between 2001 and 2007

she worked as a consultant and grants manager at the Gulbenkian Foundation.

The International Symposium “The BRIC countries: Brazil, an emerging power”

took place on 7 and 8 April 2011 and attracted over 150 participants from Europe and

Latin America. The event was held at the Centre for Brazilian Studies in Salamanca,

Spain, and was co-organised by the Ibero-American Institute (Instituto Ibero-

Americano) of the University of Salamanca and by the Latin-American Institute

(Instituto de Latino-América) of the Academy of Sciences in Russia, as part of the

network of the European Council for Social Research on Latin America (CEISAL), which

includes 50 European institutions involved in Latin-American studies.

The role of Brazil in the international political and economic context was debated at the

meeting from distinct perspectives and with regard to a wide range of topics. Some of

the conclusions and additional notes are mentioned below:

1. Brazilian economy grew 7.5% in 2010, and according to the

latest projections, the country will grow at a rate close to 5%

annually over the next five years. However, the economic

indicators do not necessarily match the social indicators for

development. Despite having reduced its poverty percentage

from 38% to 25% in the last 10 years, according to statistics

advanced by ECLAC, Brazil continues to suffer from serious

problems, such as social inequality.

In a report on Human Development for Latin America and the Caribbean (2010), Brazil

is in 73rd place out of the 169 countries for which there is data available on health,

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

ISSN: 1647-7251

Vol. 2, n.º 2 (Autumn 2011), pp. 125-130

BRIC Countries: Brazil, an emerging power

Nancy Elena Ferreira Gomes

126

education and income and that enabled the making of the comparative table presented

by UNDP

. Brazil also has to face the serious challenge posed by internal violence: The

Institute for Economics and Peace, which publishes an annual Global Peace Index (GPI)

that measures security and violence indicators in the world, placed Brazil at number 74

in a ranking of 153 countries (2011), with the first in the ranking deemed to be the

most peaceful in the world

2. Brazil appears today in the international arena increasingly

aware of its potential power and interests. The objectives of its

foreign policy include: change the structure of Global

Governance (mainly in political and economic terms) and be

involved in world decision-making centres.

The south Atlantic, where the vast oil reserves of the pre-salt are located, and the

Amazonia region, with its borders permeable to drug trafficking, emerge as key

priorities in the security agenda of Brazil. Thus, the consolidation of the South Atlantic

as a Peace Zone (Resolution 41/11 of the UN GA of 27-10-1986) away from the

conflicts that occur elsewhere in the world and out of the collective defence schemes

that currently exist, such as NATO, are among the objectives of Brazil’s foreign policy.

Due to the need to monitor the Amazonia and its borders with 10 neighbouring states,

exchanges in terms of security and military issues as part of the South American

Defence Council assume increasing importance. Other equally major issues in the

agenda of Brazil’s foreign policy are: South-South Cooperation and new Partnerships,

such as with several countries in Africa

. Indeed, according to the latest report on

South-South Cooperation (2010) produced by the Ibero-American General Secretariat

(SEGIB)

, in 2009 Ibero-American countries participated in 881 Bilateral Horizontal

South-South Cooperation projects. The participation of Brazil, along with Mexico and

Argentina, exceeded 10%. Brazil’s large investment in Africa is also evident, as

attested by the rise in the number of ambassadors in several countries of the continent

and the allocation of funds for development cooperation. “Nowadays, Brazil can be

considered as a new donor country”

. Other topics, such as Migration and Regional

Integration, also stand out.

3. As for regional integration, UNASUL – perceived as a political

extension of MERCOSUR – has been gaining prominence among

the objectives of Brazil’s foreign policy. Accordingly, Brazil has

been promoting what appears to be a form of Integration with

low or no institutional framework that will enable it to act

flexibly and autonomously. The big novelty in this type of action

UNPD. [Accessed on 10-07-2011]. Available at: http://hdrstats.undp.org/es/paises/perfiles/BRA.html

IEP. [Accessed on 10-07-2011]. Available at : http://www.economicsandpeace.org/WhatWeDo/GPI

Mário Vilalva, Ambassador of Brazil to Portugal, during the first meeting of the Working Group on Brazil,

which was held at the headquarters of the Institute for National Defence (IDN) in Lisbon on 26-04-2011.

SEGIB. [Accessed on 6-06-2011]. Available at: http://segib.org/actividades/files/2010/12/Inf-coop-sul-

sul-2010.pdf

ABC. [Accessed on 10-07-2011]. Available at: http://www.abc.gov.br/lerNoticia.asp?id_Noticia=606

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ISSN: 1647-7251

Vol. 2, n.º 2 (Autumn 2011), pp. 125-130

BRIC Countries: Brazil, an emerging power

Nancy Elena Ferreira Gomes

127

is the investment that has been made in favour of physical

integration.

Market integration following the European model seems unlikely in a region formed by

states whose major partners are out (US or China). From a political stance, the

continuance of certain nationalisms also limits this type of projects, since “integration

also implies the dilution of state sovereignties”

. But it is within the region, particularly

in South America, that Brazilian manufactured goods gain relative competitiveness,

which meets the objectives of promoting national industries. Accordingly, there is

consensus among some sectors in Brazil about the importance of first revitalizing their

relationship with neighbouring countries and then embark on a global platform. To this

effect, several physical infrastructural projects are in progress, with over 80 Brazilian

funded projects and infrastructural works in South America, totalling about US$ 10

billion in projects already approved

4. Far beyond the publicly expressed friendship relations between

Hugo Chávez and Lula da Silva, and now Dilma Rousseff, there

is a clear convergence or “convenient” reconciliation between

what appears to be the economic and trade interests of Brazil

(which are also geo-strategic) and Venezuela’s political and

ideological interests, reflected in the foreign political support

that is necessary to ensure the non-isolation of its regime.

The challenge for Brazil in relation to Venezuela surely is not to avoid contamination by

the “Bolivarian ideology”, because, as countries in the region show positive signs in

issues such as the strengthening of democratic institutions, legal reassurance for

foreign investment, freedom of the media, etc., the political and ideological project of

Hugo Chávez meets with serious resistance

. In a prospective scenario proposed by

Venezuelan Professor Elsa Cardozo, the government of Hugo Chávez may become more

extreme as internal pressure for change increases (In Venezuela in 2010, inflation rates

surpassed 29%, and there was shortage of products such as meat, sugar and coffee,

and a high degree of internal violence), and this may lead to a radicalization in the

design and implementation of its security agenda. This means that issues such as the

political conflict with the U.S. – and, by extension, with countries in the region that are

clear allies of the U.S. – and asymmetric warfare will go higher in the list of priorities of

Venezuela’s security agenda. As a result, we may see a fragmentation and weakening

of the security cooperation agreements and, ultimately, regional integration

. Thus, the

challenge facing Brazil appears to be of a different nature, like: until when will Brazil be

Andrés Malamud, researcher at the Institute for Social Sciences (ICS) and a guest expert at the round

table titled “Latin America: facing the mirror of its integration”, held at the headquarters of UAL on 27-05-

2011.

Further information available at: http://www.itamaraty.gov.br/temas/balanco-de-politica-externa-2003-

2010/1.1.6-america-do-sul-infraestrutura

Sérgio Augusto de Abreu and Lima Florêncio Sobrinho analysed the political expansion potential of the

Participatory Democracy model in the book coordinated by Arturo Oropeza Garcia “Latinoamerica frente al

espejo de su Integración 1810-2010”, pp. 179-195.

Elsa Cardozo, Brasil y Colombia en la Agenda de Seguridad de Venezuela. Ildis. 2006 [Accessed on 11-07-

2011]. Available at: http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/caracas/50461.pdf

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

ISSN: 1647-7251

Vol. 2, n.º 2 (Autumn 2011), pp. 125-130

BRIC Countries: Brazil, an emerging power

Nancy Elena Ferreira Gomes

128

able to play the “moderator” role against a backdrop of conflict and polarization such as

this one?

5. Most experts alert to the challenge facing a revisionist power

with a universal vocation like Brazil to reduce its dependence on

China and sustain economic growth.

Between 2000 and 2010, Brazil’s exports to China went up from $ 1.1 billion – 2% of

Brazil’s total exports – to $ 30.8 billion – 15% of the total. With regard to Brazil’s

imports from China, they grew from $ 1.2 billion – 2% of the total – to $ 25.6 billion –

14% of the total

. China has thus become Brazil’s main partner and a major element

for the maintenance of Brazil’s surplus

. However, the bulk of Brazil’s exports to China

consist mainly of commodities

, which makes this type of primary partnership

unsustainable in the long term. However, some people argue that this relationship of

dependency is equally recent and relative if we consider that China’s position as the

largest destination of Brazilian exports was only achieved in 2009, when it overtook the

United States, and that trade with China currently accounts for 1/5 of Brazilian foreign

trade relations. They insist that the main challenge lies in not getting carried away by

the enthusiasm of the current economic climate.

6. As Brazil’s foreign policy becomes global, its relations with the

US and Europe are no longer a priority. This makes many

analysts think there is the need to review the relationship

pattern between these countries.

This takes us to a comment made by Alfredo Valladão, where he stated that “… The

relations between Brazil and Europe can no longer be anchored simply on celebrating

old cultural ties, reiterating common values and facilitating business, and even less on

maintaining the paternalistic approach of development aid. It is time to start

establishing a more mature dialogue among equals, based on the promotion of

interests and shared objectives”

. Accordingly, topics like Education, Trade, Air Traffic,

Piracy, the South Atlantic, Energy, Naval Cooperation, and Cooperation with Africa,

Peace Missions, and Human Rights may be included in the agenda of the current

relationship.

7. Brazil cannot assert itself as a global power if it does not invest

in military power.

IPEA, As Relações Bilaterais Brasil – China: A Ascensão da China no sistema mundial e os desafios para o

Brasil. [Accessed on 28-06-2011]. Available at:

http://www.ipea.gov.br/portal/images/stories/PDFs/comunicado/110408_estudochinaipeamre.pdf.

Trade with China represented a surplus of US$4.600 million for Brazil in 2009 (20% of the total surplus).

The exports pattern from Brazil to China focuses basically on two basic products: non-agglomerated iron

ore and its concentrates, and soy beans.

Alfredo Valladão, professor at the Sciences Po-Paris University and a guest speaker at the 17th

International Summer Courses of Cascais (topic: “Brazil and International Politics), organized by IPRI, and

which was held at the Cascais Cultural Centre on 24-06-2010.

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

ISSN: 1647-7251

Vol. 2, n.º 2 (Autumn 2011), pp. 125-130

BRIC Countries: Brazil, an emerging power

Nancy Elena Ferreira Gomes

129

Indeed, according to data presented by the Stockholm International Peace Research

Institute (SIPRI), the amount spent by Brazil on defence (2010) accounted for 1.6% of

the GDP, which is less than the investment the USA (4.8%), India (2.7%) and China

(2.1%) made in this area

. Comparative studies in this field highlight that Brazil not

only invests little, but is also ill equipped and has a ratio between manpower and

equipment that renders the military power of the country ineffective

. In his closing

remarks presented at the conference, Júlio César Rodríguez said that “Brazil’s lack of

material and military capacities to be able to be a regional leader and a global power

affect the medium and long-term objectives of the country, the alternatives to military

development being just a few, of which the main ones are: the alliance with the U.S.,

giving up its leading role and the awareness that digitalization can be a form of

horizontalization of capacities with the aim of generating deterrent forces”

8. It is essential that countries harmonize their positions with

regard to the values that should be core in a multipolar or

pluripolar society like ours

. In this sense, the promotion and

defence of certain values, such as respect for Human Rights,

inexorably require agreement among major democratic

countries. It is here that Brazil can play an important role as an

“emerging power”.

Brazil’s vote supporting the appointment of a special rapporteur to investigate the

human rights situation in Iran during the session of the UN Human Rights Council on 24

March last could mean not only a change of tactics on the part of the “emerging

power”

but also be a positive sign in favour of the maintenance of an international

order that embraces those same values.

Bibliography

CALDUCH, Rafael Cervera (1991). Relaciones Internacionales. Madrid: Ediciones

Ciências Sociales. ISBN 84-87510-25-6.

CERVO, Amado Luiz (2011). Relações Internacionais de América Latina. Instituto

Brasileiro de Relações Internacionais. Universidade de Brasília. Brasi. ISBN 85-88270-

05-6.

SIPRI. [online]. [caccessed on 06-06-2011]. Available at:

http://www.sipri.org/research/armaments/milex/factsheet2010

Eugénio Diniz, quoted by Júlio César Cossio Rodríguez during his presentation titled “Brazil, Regional

Integration and Strategic Factors: a few considerations”, at the Symposium “BRIC: Brazil, an emerging

power”.

Júlio César Cossio Rodriguez, a researcher at ICS/UL, and a speaker at the Symposium “BRIC: Brazil, an

emerging power”. Title of his presentation: “Brazil, Regional Integration and Strategic Factors: a few

considerations”.

Spanish professor Rafael Calduch Cervera defines the polarity of an international society as “the effective

capacity of one or several international players to adopt decisions, behaviours or international standards

accepted by other players, and through which they reach or guarantee an hegemonic position in the

international hierarchy”.

It should be noted that during his administration, Lula da Silva always defended Iran’s nuclear

programme and opposed international sanctions against that country.

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

ISSN: 1647-7251

Vol. 2, n.º 2 (Autumn 2011), pp. 125-130

BRIC Countries: Brazil, an emerging power

Nancy Elena Ferreira Gomes

130

GARCIA, Arturo Oropeza (2010). Latinoamerica frente al espejo de su integración.

Mexico City: MNE and UNAM Editors. ISBN 9786070036507, 386 p: il. [online].

[Accessed on 11-07-2011]. Available at:

http://biblio.juridicas.unam.mx/libros/6/2923/15.pdf

How to cite this Note

Gomes, Nancy Elena Ferreira (2011). "BRIC Countries: Brazil, an emerging power”,

JANUS.NET e-journal of International Relations, Vol. 2, N.º 2, Autumn 2011. Accessed

[online] on date of last visit, observare.ual.pt/janus.net/en_vol2_n2_not1