Pax Brasiliana? A study of Brazil’s foreign policy strategy in moments of constitutional and political crises (1990-2015)

• Grant number: 16/18075-5
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2017
• End date: October 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - International Politics
• Principal Investigator: Jan Oliver Della Costa Stunkel
• Grantee: Jan Oliver Della Costa Stunkel
• Host Institution: Centro de Pesquisa e Documentação de História Contemporânea do Brasil (CPDOC). Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Allan Greicon Macedo Lima
• Associated scholarship(s): 18/25474-9 - Pax Brasiliana? A study of Brazil's foreign policy in moments of constitutional and political crises (1990-2015), BP.TT; 18/16855-9 - Pax Brasiliana? A study of Brazil's foreign policy in moments of constitutional and political crises (1990-2015), BP.TT

Abstract

This research project discusses Brazil's foreign policy in times of constitutional crisis and political instability in Latin America. The goal of this project is to conduct a comparative analysis of Brazil's participation in the management of constitutional crises in Latin America during the governments of Fernando Collor de Mello, Itamar Franco, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff. The research project is, since 2013, developing and analyzing twelve case studies of constitutional crisis and political instability in Latin America. Since then, we have begun to collect and organize interviews of key actors who were involved in these processes, not only in Brazil but also abroad. Interviews and research development will be guided by the following question: how does Brazil react to constitutional and political crises in Latin America since the early 1990s? To understand the role of Brazil in democratic crises in Latin America, we will use the process-tracing method, supported by oral testimony, in order to identify causal mechanisms. Which variables in the country (or countries) affected by the crises determine Brazil's strategy? For example, when does Brazil opt for presidential diplomacy (as seen, among other cases, in Paraguay in 1996 and 1999, in Ecuador in 2003 and in Bolivia in 2008), or for a more passive approach (as, for example, in the case of Peru in 1992 and 2000)? The result of this project will contribute to a better understanding of Brazilian contemporary foreign policy. It will also contribute to the production of new primary sources, which will increase the primary sources publicly available - the first interviews are already accessible at CPDOC's online archive. (AU)