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international norms and regimes. 454 This was in contrast to the President’spredecessors’ proclivities to distance Brazil from the overweening influence of greatpowers. In doing so, the Cardoso foreign policy, implemented by his foreignministers Luiz Felipe Lampreia (January 1995-January 2001) and Celso Lafer(January 2001 – December 2002), sought to foster an international environmentthat was “as institutionalized as possible”. 455 This form of foreign policy projectionwas based on Cardoso’s overriding conviction that a paradigm shift had occurred ininternational relations. This shift entailed the necessity of seeing movement in theglobal power balance less in terms of military or strategic influence, and more interms of economic, commercial, and cultural projection: 456 the ascendancy of socalled‘soft power’. This view came to epitomise the international outlook of thosesectors of the Brazilian economy with external exposure. It also culminated in anacceptance of US primacy in international affairs, and the concomitant need tofoster a strong, close relationship with the White House. It was not completelypliant, however, as Cardoso’s foreign policy, dubbed ‘critical convergence’ byLampreia 457 emphasised liberal convergence, but was still wary of internationalpower asymmetries.For Lula, on the other hand, foreign policy came to be characterised as ‘autonomythrough diversification’ defined as follows:an adherence to international norms and principles by means of South-Southalliances, including regional alliances, and through agreements with non-traditionalpartners (China, Asia-Pacific, Africa, Eastern Europe, Middle East, etc.), trying toreduce asymmetries in foreign relations with powerful countries; at the same time,the maintenance of regular and good relations with developed countries,cooperating with them in international organizations and reducing their power. 458This signified a change in international outlook for Brazil, with South America,South-South partnerships, and an ‘anti-imperialist’ inclination assuming newprimacy in Brazilian foreign policy. This is in contrast to Brazil’s ‘traditional’ foreignpolicy principles centred upon a legalistic, ‘Grotian’ approach to internationalaffairs, one that prizes multilateralism, non-intervention and the ‘sovereign454 Tullo Vigevani and Gabriel Cepaluni, Brazilian Foreign Policy in Changing Times.Translated by Leandro Moura (Lanham: Lexington Books, 2009): xi.455 Ibid., 54.456 Ibid., 54. This is the view of Roberto Abdenur, a career diplomat who wassubsequently critical of the foreign policy of the Lula administration.457 Ibid., 58.458 Vigevani and Cepaluni, Changing Times, 86, and 81-100.192