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A number of scholars are agreed that the ascent of Partido dos Trabalhadores to powerin 2003 after three prior attempts at winning the presidency, signalled a perceptiblechange in Brazil’s foreign policy. There is less agreement on the extent of thesechanges. For Soares de Lima and Hirst changes are embodied in “the inclusion ofthe social agenda as a major topic of foreign affairs”, along with Brazil’s greateremphasis on the reform of the major multilateral institutions and its unease with theunequal distribution of power and wealth in these institutions. 525 For Vidigal, thechanges are four-fold, both diplomatic and economic in nature, and characterisedby:• Greater emphasis on the internationalisation of Brazilian firms;• Diversification of the country’s international ties;• Stronger action in multilateral organisations; and,• Adoption of the non-indifference principle. 526For Almeida, the greatest changes occurred in discourse and in practice, rather thanin the broad lines of Brazilian foreign policy. 527 While juridical commitments toprinciples such as ‘non-interference’ and respect for state sovereignty remained, itwas in implementation that new divergences appeared. 528Even heading into Lula’s (relatively late) campaign for re-election in 2006, PT wassubdued on the international goals of the party, apportioning only a small section ofthe party manifesto to this topic. It limited these to Brazil’s accentuation of itssovereign presence in the world; the continued importance of multilateralismthrough reform of the UN and UNSC; and, the campaign for fairer economic,financial and commercial arrangements to benefit developing countries. Other goalsincluded the commitment to the fight against world hunger, and in favour of peace,as well as the perennial priority of South American integration. Relations withAfrican countries were singled out for special importance, while relations with525 Lima and Hirst, “Brazil as an intermediate state”, 22.526 Carlos Vidigal, “Brazil: a cordial power? Brazilian diplomacy in the early 21 st century”,in RECIIS, 4, No.1 (2010): 33-41, passim.527 Almeida, “A Política Internacional do PT” 88.528 See PR Almeida, “Brazil and Non-Intervention”, 3 March, 2010. Accessed online at:http://textospra.blogspot.com/2010/03/569-brazil-and-non-intervention-paulo-r.html on 7March, 2011.212