Brazil?s Leadership through Global Channels: Autonomy, diversification and acceptance

MELISA DECIANCIO

Bruselas

Workshop; Global Re-Ordering: Towards the Next Generation of Scholarship; 2014

Warwick University

During recent decades, Brazil has emerged as an active new player in the international arena. Evidence of this can be found by analyzing the Brazilian role in most of the multilateral forums in which it participates at the regional and at the global level. According to Van Langenhove & Zwartjes (2012), in order for Brazil to be identified as a regional leader, the country must fulfil three requirements: willingness, capacity and acceptance. Since 2003, Brazil has demonstrated its willingness to become a regional leader through its active role in the WTO's G-20, the G-77 and the UN Security Council (UNSC). Additionally, its size in terms of territory and population, its economic and development indexes and its peaceful environment prove its capacity to lead. However, despite the fact that Brazil?s neighbours have to some degree consented to its leadership of the region in particular issues of common interest, gaining acceptance has been the hardest part of Brazil?s consolidation as a regional leader. Despite a general perception of acceptance, there has been some resistance from the other big regional players ?like Argentina and Venezuela? towards key components of the Brazilian agenda abroad. This article will focus on how the Lula administration managed to strengthen its position as a regional leader through global governance channels. I argue that international forums have become useful spaces for emerging powers to gain acceptance of their regional leadership from their neighbours. Brazil?s intent to lead in South America has been accompanied by strong activism in multilateral organizations, which has led its neighbours to accept Brazil as a representative of their interests in global governance institutions. However, they still show some resistance to Brazil challenging their power in the region.