The Role of Brazil in the Global Governance

3 
 
Introduction  
― The government has made a political decision to 
insert Brazil into the world as a major country, a 
country which likes to respect others but at the same time 
a country which wants to be respected. We will not accept 
any more participating in international politics as if we 
were the poor little ones of Latin America, a „little 
country‟ of the Third World, a „little country‟ which has 
street children, which only knows how to play football, 
and only knows how to enjoy carnival. This country does 
have street children, has carnival and has football. But 
this country has much more. This country has greatness 
…this country has everything to be the equal of any other 
country in the world. And we will not give up on this 
goal.‖  
(Fragment of a speech by President Luiz Inácio 
Lula da Silva at the lunch offered to the graduating 
students at the Rio Branco Institute in 2003
1
) 
 
 
 
In the recent years, Brazil has emerged as a strong actor 
on the global stage. After several political and economic changes 
– among them the global financial crisis – the era of US 
unilateralism has ended and new centers of power have come out. 
Brazil is one of the countries that has benefited from the 
international disorder. It has come out from the 2008 financial 
crisis more quickly and much better than the other countries. The 
country has reached high levels of economic growth (the gross 
domestic product – GDP – was nearly 2 trillion dollars in 2008), it 
has reduced the inflation, it had attracted foreign investments 
and it had hold its currency – the real
2
 – stable. This is 
                                                 
1
 “Discurso do Presidente da República, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, em almoço oferecido aos 
formandos do Instituto Rio Branco” (“Speech by the President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula 
da Silva, at the lunch offered to the graduating students of the Rio Branco Institute”), September 
18, 2003, available from http://www.itamaraty.gov.br/sala-de-imprensa/discursos-artigos-
entrevistas-e-outras-comunicacoes/presidente-da-republica-federativa-do-brasil/18774501213-
discurso-do-presidente-da-republica-luiz-inacio 
2
 The name of the current Brazilian currency came both from the Real Unity of Value (a transition 
currency) and from an older currency that existed until 1942. In Portuguese it is called "Real", 
meaning "royal", as it originated in Portugal, then a monarchy.
4 
 
attributable to the political and the economic stability of the 
administrations of President Henrique Cardoso (1995-2003) and 
in particular Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva (2003-2011) – known as 
Lula – the latter called by the President Barack Obama ―the most 
popular politician on earth
3
‖.  
As late as 2002, Brazil was struggle with chronic financial 
instability, and the election of a leftist president raised fears of 
macroeconomic collapse and resurgent political strife. However, 
since Lula‘s election, Brazil has quickly grown, becoming the 
eighth largest economy by nominal GDP and the seventh largest 
by purchasing power parity.  For the first time, in January 2008, 
after decades as the largest foreign debtor among emerging 
economies, Brazil has become a net creditor. By mid-2008, both 
Fitch Standard & Poor ratings elevated the classification of 
Brazilian debt from speculative to investment grade. Banks have 
recorded profit in Lula's government. Lula Administration's 
economic policies also have helped to significantly raise living 
standards, with the percentage of Brazilians belonging to the 
consumerist middle class rising from 37% to 50% of the 
population. 
Economic reforms have given to the country new 
international recognition. President Lula has sought to channel 
the rising national confidence, stemmed from democratic 
consolidation and macroeconomic stability into a more dynamic 
diplomacy. In fact, since its strong economic position, Brazil 
aspires to become a global power and have a relevant role on the 
international stage. Brazil participates and influences the 
international relations‟ rules of the game in different key areas of 
global governance: the management of the global economy, 
international security, energy resources, and climate change. 
Today Brazil is considered an emerging power, together with 
China, India and Russia. 
The Brazilian foreign policy, under Lula‘s administration 
has been based on multilateralism, conceived as the primary 
means of solving conflicts and making decisions internationally. 
Brazil has gained a relevant role at the international stage in the 
last decade, joining in the ― BRIC‖
4
 countries, the BASIC
5
 group, 
                                                 
3
 “The Most Popular Politician on Earth”, Newsweek, September 22, 2009. 
4
 The term BRIC was coined by Goldman Sachs in 2003 to describe the four emerging markets -
5 
 
the IBSA Dialogue Forum
6
, the G20, in the World Trade 
Organization (WTO) and in the Copenhagen Summit. In addition, 
Brazil has taken the lead in creating the so-called G20. For 
Brazil, the G20 has been the culmination of its efforts to guide 
the nation‘s rise to the commanding heights of the global political 
economy. The G20 has replaced the G8 as the primary forum for 
international economic discussions, and President Lula‘s 
outspoken participation in these debates is a chief reason why 
Brazil is set to translate its growing economic power into a larger 
voting share in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and 
World Bank in 2011
7
.  
Moreover, Brazil has become more active in United 
Nations (UN) missions in Haiti, Liberia, East Timor, Middle 
East, Angola, Central African Republic, and Cote d‘Ivoire, among 
other current peacekeeping operations. This demonstrates the 
Brazil‘s involvement and commitment in the international arena 
and strong emphasis on multilateralism. On the other hand, such 
activism is attributable to Brazil‘s long-standing ambition of 
securing a permanent seat at the United Nations Security 
Council (UNSC), an aspiration to which the Lula government 
made heavy sacrifices. Despite the several attempts by President 
Lula together with the G4
8
 (Germany, Japan, India and Brazil) to 
reform the UNSC, in order to give more representation to 
developing countries and to better reflect the current distribution 
of world power, nothing has still changed. The ambition to be 
included in the UNSC as permanent member has so far failed, 
owing to the five permanent members‘ fear of losing power and 
the regional rivalries among powers
9
.  
                                                                                                                                                                  
Brazil, Russia, India and China – that will make up almost half the world‟s GDP growth by 2050. 
In December 2010, South Africa has been added to the group, creating the BRICS. In this paper, it 
will be used the terminology “BRIC” for chronological reasons. 
5
 The BASIC countries or G4 are a bloc of four large developing countries – Brazil, South Africa, 
India and China – formed by agreement on 28 November 2009. The four committed to act jointly 
at the Copenhagen climate summit, including a possible united walk-out if their common 
minimum position was not met by the developed nations. 
6
 The IBSA Dialogue Forum (India, Brazil and South Africa) is an international tripartite grouping 
for promoting international cooperation among these countries.  
7
 Hal Brands, Dilemmas of Brazilian Grand Strategy, Strategic Studies Institute Monograph, 
http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil  
8
 They also believed that one African nation should get a seat so that Africa would have more 
representation. The most likely African nations were Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, or South Africa, the 
most likely choice.  
9
 This is the case of Pakistan against India; Argentina, Colombia and Mexico against Brazil; China 
against Japan; Nigeria against South Africa; and Italy, Spain and Netherland against Germany.
6 
 
A clear example of the new Brazil‘s international 
ambitions has been the ―Iran affair‖. In 2010, Lula and Foreign 
Minister Celso Amorim have, in fact, brokered an alternative to 
UN sanctions against Iran to find a nuclear deal. Despite the 
good intentions, such move has backfired, jeopardizing the 
diplomatic capital and prestige Brazil has gained over the last 
two decades by positioning itself as an independent, influential 
and responsible international player. 
The political activism in foreign affairs can be also seen by 
the opening of 35 new diplomatic missions, including embassies 
and consulates in small outposts and in countries of little 
relevance in the political scenario, such as Albania, Azerbaijan, 
Togo, Bahamas, Santa Lucia, North Korea, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, 
Congo, and Slovenia. The Foreign Ministry – known as the 
Itamaraty, because of its first headquarter at the Palace of 
Itamaraty in Rio de Janeiro – has increased the diplomatic corps, 
which number 1,700 diplomats, 120 embassies, 68 consulates and 
several permanent missions in the international organizations
10
. 
The reason why Brazil is opening new diplomatic missions 
worldwide can be attributed to political, economic and 
geostrategic interests. The significant increase in the number of 
Brazilian embassies and consulates are integral parts of Brazil‘s 
political ambition in the new global contest. And this is 
happening exactly when other big players are reducing and 
restructuring their diplomatic missions abroad for budgeting 
reasons.  
 High-level visits, especially presidential ones, are also an 
indicator of a country‘s willingness and ability to strengthen her 
contacts abroad. Since his inauguration, President Lula paid as 
many as 259 visits to 83 foreign countries, including international 
meetings. Brazil pursued dialogue with countries of all regions, 
creeds, colors and backgrounds. 
The primary goal of Brazilian foreign policy has been to 
accelerate the transition from the supremacy of the developed 
world to a multipolar order, where international power balances 
are more favorable to the affirmation of Brazil‘s interests. On the 
other hand, the BRIC countries and the IBSA forum are two 
                                                 
 
10
 Ministério das Relações Exteriores, Lista do Corpo Diplomático e Organismos Internacionais,       
http://www2.mre.gov.br/listacorpodiplo.htm