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US$180 bn, compared to US$85 bn the year before. 594 To consolidate <strong>and</strong> expeditegrowth, the government launched A Programa de Aceleração do Crescimento (PAC,growth-acceleration programme) at the end <strong>of</strong> January.In the military sphere, the government started to turn its attention to thedevelopment <strong>of</strong> a defence posture for Brazil. This included Lula’s presidentialdecree <strong>of</strong> September 2007, calling for the establishment <strong>of</strong> a Ministerial Committeeto propose a National Strategy <strong>of</strong> Defence. The drafters <strong>of</strong> the report were theMinister <strong>of</strong> Defense, Nelson Jobim, <strong>and</strong> the Minister Head <strong>of</strong> the Secretariat forStrategic Affairs <strong>of</strong> the Presidency, the philosophy pr<strong>of</strong>essor, Roberto MangabeiraUnger. They noted that, in the context <strong>of</strong> Brazil’s twenty years under militarydictatorship, from 1964-1985, this act marked an unprecedented insertion <strong>of</strong>defence issues <strong>and</strong> the organisation <strong>of</strong> the military onto the national agenda. 595 Untilthen, the military’s role in society was ill-defined, given its historical retention <strong>of</strong> theprerogative to intervene in politics should conditions necessitate it. Raising the issueto the level <strong>of</strong> national debate was an achievement in itself, given the customaryreticence <strong>of</strong> the military on the discussion <strong>of</strong> any revision <strong>of</strong> its role in society. 596Among other things, the Strategy report called for “the redefinition <strong>of</strong> the role <strong>of</strong>the Ministry <strong>of</strong> Defence <strong>and</strong> the listing <strong>of</strong> strategic guidelines related to eachMilitary branch, specifying the relations that should prevail among them”. 597 Thedocument further called for a re-nationalisation <strong>of</strong> Brazilian defence supplies.Brazilian military expenditure increased steadily from USD17,614m in 2003, toreach USD28,096m by the close <strong>of</strong> Lula’s second term in 2010. This figure didremain constant as a percentage <strong>of</strong> GDP, however, varying between 1.5 <strong>and</strong> 1.6percent over the same period. 598According to Michael Shifter, a vice president <strong>of</strong> the Inter-American Dialogue, apolicy research group in Washington, speaking at the time,594 World Bank, Data: Brazil, accessed online at :http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/FI.RES.TOTL.CD, on 1 October 2010.595 Ministry <strong>of</strong> Defense. 2008. National Strategy <strong>of</strong> Defense: Peace <strong>and</strong> Security forBrazil. 1 st edition. Brasília: 6.596 Wendy Hunter, “The Brazilian Military after the Cold War: In Search <strong>of</strong> a Mission”,Studies in Comparative International Development, 28, No.4 (1994): 32.597 Ministry <strong>of</strong> Defense. 2008. National Strategy <strong>of</strong> Defense: Peace <strong>and</strong> Security forBrazil. 1 st Edition. Brasília: 5.598 SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, accessed online at:http://milexdata.sipri.org/result.php4 on 18 April, 2011.234

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