Brazil and South America
At her inauguration in 2011, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff announced, 鈥渨ith vehemence and firmness,鈥 Brazil鈥檚 decision to 鈥渁ssociate its economic, social, and political development鈥 with the continent of South America. Rousseff specifically mentioned the Mercosur trade bloc and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) as essential components in the construction of a multipolar world. Yet huge asymmetries separate Brazil from its neighbors: at the end of 2011, Brazil鈥檚 GDP accounted for approximately 60 percent of the total GDP of South America and close to 40 percent of the total output of all of Latin America. Brazil鈥檚 鈥渞ise鈥 as a global power and its growing clout on a host of global issues raise as many questions as they answers about the Brazil鈥檚 relationship with other nations in South America.
- What does South America mean for a range of actors in Brazil鈥攖he government, private sector, and other state entities such as the development bank BNDES and the oil company Petrobras? Do strategic actors in Brazil view South America or Latin America in general as a platform from which to project the country鈥檚 global rise?
- How is Brazil viewed by its neighbors? Is it considered a regional leader in political and diplomatic terms, or do others act in that capacity? How do countries situate themselves vis-脿-vis Brazil鈥檚 economic power? Is Brazil鈥檚 rise viewed as beneficial or threatening or some combination of the two?
Hon. Antonio Sim玫es, Sergio Fausto, and Ricardo Sennes discussed the views from Brazil while Hon. Juan Gabriel Vald茅s, Hon. Gustavo Fern谩ndez, Ana Mar铆a Sanju谩n, Juan Gabriel Tokatlian, and Juan Esteb谩n Orduz discussed the views from the region.
Photo courtesy of flickr user
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Latin America Program
浪花直播鈥檚 prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the 浪花直播 Center鈥檚 strength as the nation鈥檚 key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action. Read more
Brazil Institute
The Brazil Institute鈥攖he only country-specific policy institution focused on Brazil in Washington鈥攁ims to deepen understanding of Brazil鈥檚 complex landscape and strengthen relations between Brazilian and US institutions across all sectors. Read more