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

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It is also plausible to expect that as Brazil selects the path <strong>of</strong> more purposeful powerprojection, in terms <strong>of</strong> military doctrines <strong>and</strong> military hardware, it will be veeringaway from the traditional principles <strong>of</strong> PT, which are still predicated on nonviolence<strong>and</strong> internationalism. The replacement <strong>of</strong> personnel at the top <strong>of</strong> theforeign policy decision-making structure following the 2010 elections will also bearsignificance for self-perceptions <strong>of</strong> Brazil’s international role. With the departure <strong>of</strong>Celso Amorim <strong>and</strong> Samuel Pinheiro Guimarães, obstacles are removed to closercollaboration with the US on questions <strong>of</strong> mutual interest, such as Brazil’s acting asa counterweight to Venezuela in the region, the creation <strong>of</strong> markets for ethanol, <strong>and</strong>Brazil’s pursuit <strong>of</strong> a seat on the UN Security Council. Overall, a realistic expectationmay be cultivated that Brazil’s internationalist posture in international relations maybe giving way to a more muscular projection <strong>of</strong> power, but that perhaps the biggestdanger it faces is, in the words <strong>of</strong> The Economist, hubris. 718The institutionalisation <strong>of</strong> Brazil’s external outlook has been borne out by the factthat Brazil’s international posture has not suffered major changes resulting from thedeparture <strong>of</strong> Lula, Amorim <strong>and</strong> Guimarães from the key foreign policymakingposts. While Dilma Rousseff, Brazil’s new president, is not as visible a diplomat asLula was, Brazil has held true to its time-honoured principles <strong>of</strong> internationaldiplomacy. The country abstained from voting on UN Resolution 1973 thatauthorised a ‘no-fly zone’ over Libya in March 2011. This was in line with theposition <strong>of</strong> other major emerging powers, <strong>and</strong> with Brazil’s historical opposition tothe use <strong>of</strong> force in international disputes. 719 The anti-imperialist bent remains, withBrazil eager to support the bids for statehood first <strong>of</strong> South Sudan, which it was thefirst country to recognise; <strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> Palestine, whose bid it recognised in November2010. Domestically, however, Rousseff’s position has also weakened, both inCongress, where PT depends on an unwieldy coalition, <strong>and</strong> in the Executive, wherefour Ministers had resigned by August 2011. 720 While the President is expected toact more pragmatically in the region, <strong>and</strong> in relation to Western powers, keyportfolios have been given to protagonists <strong>of</strong> the Lula foreign policy. While Samuel718 The Economist. 2009. “Brazil takes <strong>of</strong>f”, 12 November, 2009. Accessed online at:http://www.economist.com/node/14845197 on 14 March, 2011.719 VOANews, “BRICS Nations Oppose Use <strong>of</strong> Force in Libya”, April 14, 2011. Accessedonline at: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/BRICS-Nations-Oppose-Use-<strong>of</strong>-Forcein-Libya-119833134.html.720 Economist Intelligence Unit Country Report, Brazil: September 2011.296

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