Argentina and South Africa facing the challenges of the XXI Century: Brazil as the mirror image

LECHINI, GLADYS

UNR Editora

Año: 2011 p. 300

978-950-673-920-1

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:BERFUJ+Utopia-RegularSC; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-alt:Utopia; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:auto; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} p.Default, li.Default, div.Default {mso-style-name:Default; mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"BERFUJ+Utopia-RegularSC","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:BERFUJ+Utopia-RegularSC; color:black; mso-ansi-language:ES; mso-fareast-language:ES;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> This book starts with a general discussion of the Argentine foreign policy, the main feature of which –certainly paradoxical– has been its discontinuity, its persistent unpredictable performance, from the second half of the previous century on, with its traditional erratic fluctuations and its ever hesitant strategy of international insertion. In the short span of a couple of decades, Argentina went from disdaining the Non-Aligned Movement to adhering to it enthusiastically after the Malvinas/Falklands War broke out. Later, it blatantly proclaimed unconditional alignment with the United States of America, in the name of the sadly regrettable doctrine of “carnal relations” with the hegemonic power. Finally, it cautiously returned to the Movement, during Néstor Kirchner Presidency, but as “observer” and not as a full member of the organization. Amid such dizzying succession of changing priorities and reactions, the Africa policy fell prey to the meanderings of the official policy. The book shows the existing contrast with Brazil, a country which, since the 1960s, adopted and maintained a policy of deepening commercial, political and cultural relations with the African countries. <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:ES;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page WordSection1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> In its relations with African countries, Brazil implemented an overarching strategy, despite some fluctuations. This process consolidated and gained continuity because those countries formed part of the global agenda in the context of Brasilia’s international insertion project Argentina-South Africa relations have a central place in this study. They started in the 1960s followed three stages. The first one, between 1960 and 1983, when relations responded to sporadic impulses dictated by rather strict commercial interests and, toward the end of this period and in the context of the military regime, for strategic-military reasons. The second stage began when Argentina broke off with the racist Pretoria regime, and was extended over up to 1991, when the Argentine government gave recognition to the new African counterpart; nevertheless, such recognition was not enough to substantially modify the approach to South Africa or to the African Continent at large in the eyes of the temporary occupants of Argentina’s Foreign Relations Ministry. Yet, in the last decade bilateral macro relationships experienced an improvement, largely due to the renewed activism of both Argentinean and South African embassies  and the creative role of an expanding network of social actors on both sides of the Atlantic that help to keep alive and growing the relations at the micro level.