Download - LSE Theses Online - London School of Economics and ...

position itself as a regional power in Latin America and the Caribbean in themedium-term”. 674The opportunity to project power in the Caribbean was expedited by the withdrawalfrom the scene of the traditional powers, the US and France. Brazil had beenheartened by its recent engagement in East Timor, and by the prospect ofpermanent member status in the UN Security Council. Unable to justify unilateralengagement for a number of reasons, Brazil sought to ‘multilateralise’ itsinvolvement in Haiti. Thus, it sought the cooperation and agreement of its regionalneighbours, as well as the countries of CARICOM. CARICOM had been deeplyengaged in facilitating a mediated solution to the crisis by attempting to coordinatemeetings between Aristide and the opposition, hence its membership waspredictably not initially in favour of MINUSTAH, which it saw as underwriting anillegal government. 6757.4.3. Domestic implicationsHow was engagement in Haiti justified by the relevant domestic actors, i.e.Itamaraty and PT? What have been the consequences in terms of domestic politicsfor PT and for the Brazilian government?Brazil’s intervention in Haiti, through its military leadership of MINUSTAH andinvolvement in training of police, along with technical cooperation was a polarisingissue in the foreign policy community, and in Congress, particularly amongopposition parties, Partido da Frente Liberal (PFL), Partido da Social DemocraciaBrasileira (PSDB) and Partido Democrático Trabalhista (PDT), along with somepolitical analysts, journalists and academics. 676The engagement in MINUSTAH in a leadership position was sold in terms ofsolidarity of the Brazilian people with the Haitian people, and the capacity of Brazil674 Gratius, “Brazil in the Americas”, 1.675 Hirst, “South American Intervention in Haiti”, 103.676 Wladimir Valler Filho, O Brasil e a crise Haitiana: A cooperação técnica comoinstrumento de solidariedade e de ação diplomática (Brasília: Fundação AlexandreGusmão, 2007): 15.261