Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract The article investigates the trajectory and transformations of Brazil’s involvement in UN peacekeeping operations, seeking to explain the recent hesitation to assume a leadership role in contrast to previous periods, particularly during the two initial presidential terms of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003-2011). It highlights the influence of international and domestic factors on Brazil’s new stance, including changes in the nature of UN peacekeeping missions and the impact of the deep politico-economic crisis Brazil experienced between 2013 and 2022. The shifts in foreign policy during the governments of Michel Temer and Jair Bolsonaro resulted in a more isolationist view and a significant reduction in Brazil’s participation in peacekeeping operations. The article concludes by analyzing the need for a strategic reassessment by Brazil of the dynamics of peacekeeping operations and the domestic challenges faced by the new Lula da Silva government to realign its future participation with its national interests and capabilities.

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Abstract This paper investigates how ideological polarization and constituency factors influence legislators’ voting behaviour on Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). We explore the Chilean case, where trade policy has recently become highly politicized, to test three key relationships. First, we argue that right-wing legislators are more likely to champion FTAs when trade becomes a highly politicized issue, as the ratification of the CPTPP shows. Conversely, when trade is less politically salient, right-wing legislators are less likely to vote favourably for FTAs. Second, legislators representing regions with a high concentration of workers in tradable sectors are less likely to support trade liberalization, as it can put jobs at risk in their districts. Our results show that ideology explains legislators’ support to FTAs but only when the trade policy is politicized. Also, the probability of voting in favour of FTAs decreases as the proportion of workers in tradable sectors within the region increases. From a comparative perspective, the results highlight how the effect of politicization, observed mainly in European settings, is generalizable to a different set up: a presidential developing democracy.

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Abstract Discussions on losses and damages caused by climate change have gained momentum with the creation of a dedicated fund at COP 27. This article, based on literature review and analysis of UNFCCC documents, traces the trajectory of these discussions in the multilateral climate change regime, from 1992 to the operationalization of the fund at COP 28. The research analyzes key challenges for the first year of the fund’s board and the growing importance of climate justice in the international agenda. Despite the significant progress, there are still critical gaps to be filled, such as defining clear criteria for climate vulnerability and resource mobilization.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract The 1996 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons remains a pivotal reference in international law and disarmament debates. While the Opinion did not categorically prohibit nuclear weapons, its reasoning has been widely cited in legal and diplomatic arenas. This study examines the Opinion’s long-term influence through three key elements: its incorporation into state practice, its role in international litigation, and its impact on the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Employing a methodology centered on primary sources, this research evaluates the Opinion’s relevance in shaping international legal norms and assesses whether it still accurately reflects the state of international law on nuclear disarmament.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract This study proposes, based on scientific production carried out in Europe, the adaptation of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) method by Kaplan and Norton, for the analysis of the performance of Brazilian Strategic Defense Companies (SDC). The investigation is carried out in a comparative way, in two stages. In the first one, a bibliometric research was carried out to identify the characteristics of the European Defense Industrial Base. In the second stage of the research, the BSC-Defense indicators, developed based on the literature found, were empirically analyzed in a Strategic Defense Company in Brazil. The results indicate that the BSC-Defense instrument can serve as a guiding element for Strategic Defense Companies, as it includes an integrated and dynamic set of capabilities, processes and activities related to the strategic performance of the organization.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract This article examines Brazil’s diplomatic strategy in creating the Itaipu hydroelectric dam, emphasizing its cooperative frameworks with Paraguay and Argentina to foster regional integration. It analyzes how Brazil leveraged the Itaipu negotiations (1960-1979) to balance national interests and regional cooperation. By using process tracing, the study examines the negotiations surrounding the signing of the Cataratas Agreement (1966), the Itaipu Treaty (1973), and the Tripartite Itaipu-Corpus Agreement (1979). Three causal mechanisms help explain the outcomes achieved in each historical context: national interest, need for cooperation, and pressure from public opinion. The research highlights Brazil’s diplomatic maneuvers in the agreements, showing how these efforts reinforced Brazil’s role as a cooperative regional hegemon while advancing broader regional goals.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract This article aims to analyze Brazil’s search for UNSC reform from the debate on autonomy in the formulation and performance of Brazilian foreign policy. To this end, we analyzed more than 6,000 presidential speeches between 1985 and 2022, to identify the approach of each of the governments and the strategy of rapprochement of the countries by the Brazilian presidents. We show that, although the issue has been constantly mentioned on the country’s foreign policy agenda, in practice, it was a more incisive policy in the first two terms of the Lula government.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract The Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC) was established in 1991. It marked the culmination of a rapprochement process that began in the 1980s, as two former adversaries transitioned into cooperative partners. This article explores the rapprochement process between Brazil and Argentina in the nuclear field, leading to the creation of ABACC. It examines two key periods: the adversarial relations between 1967-1982, when most verification proposals originated from extra-regional actors or epistemic communities, and the 1982-1992 rapprochement era, when discussions on verification gained traction domestically in both countries, particularly after their return to democracy. This article classifies these proposals into three models: (1) ad hoc inspections, (2) regional verification, and (3) bilateral verification.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract The article evaluates the foreign policy of the two first years of President Lula´s third mandate, after the isolationist turn of the Bolsonaro years. The author highlights the main aspects conditioning Brazil’s initiatives to return to the world stage, by separating them into three levels of analysis: decision-makers, state, and systemic. It identifies that, compared to Lula´s previous mandates, the first level is the most stable and that major changes occurred in the other two. The article evaluates Brazil´s current foreign policy in the areas of peace and security; climate change and sustainable development; and South American integration. It concludes that Brazil´s reengagement with international organizations and bilateral partners in the biennium was broadly favorable. The country has succeeded in maintaining its neutrality in face of the conflict in Ukraine and restored the historically balanced stance on the Gaza conflict. It resumed its leadership role in climate governance and sustainable development, especially in its dimension of combating hunger and poverty. Brazil´s efforts, however, were not able to reinstate an institutional framework gathering the whole of South America. The article anticipates that, for the rest of the mandate, defending Brazilian democracy will be a major component of the country foreign policy.

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Abstract The article analyzes conceptions of peace in Chinese theories of International Relations, focusing on the work of Zhao Tingyang and Qin Yaqing. It questions how these conceptions contrast with the premises of Western liberal peace. The article argues that Chinese theories offer a distinct view of peace centered on harmony and relational stability as opposed to the Western emphasis on promoting liberal-democratic values. However, there are under-explored issues in the Chinese contributions, particularly regarding the practical operationalization of concepts and the possibility of new international hierarchies. To support its argument, the article employs a qualitative literature review of selected sources, combined with a comparative analysis of the key concepts of Chinese theories vis-à-vis the postulates of liberal peace.

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Abstract What if the alarm never goes off? This article rethinks legislative oversight in foreign policy through the lens of proactive calibration, a model that transcends classic police patrol and fire alarm paradigms. Drawing on over 70,777 legislative records from the Brazilian Senate (1985–2025), we uncover patterns of institutional vigilance in which parliaments internally generate salience and exert control. In this framework, requests are not mere reactions, but deliberate signals of political concern and symbolic assertion. Unlike the fire alarm model, where external actors trigger institutional response, here the legislature itself becomes the initiator of the alarm, reframing visibility and activating scrutiny on its own terms. Silence, therefore, is not passivity but strategic latency; activation is not always coercive, but expressive and anticipatory. Our findings challenge dominant assumptions about legislative irrelevance in foreign affairs and propose a novel theory of how parliaments manufacture visibility, manage discretion, and exert control.

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Abstract This article examines the overlooked U.S.–Brazil textile dispute of the late 1960s and early 1970s and its impact on Brazilian foreign policy during the military regime (1964–1985). Drawing on recently declassified U.S. diplomatic sources, it highlights how the contradiction between the Nixon administration’s cooperative rhetoric toward Latin America and its protectionist actions against Brazilian textile exports shaped bilateral relations and Brazil’s role in the international system. Although Brasília made concessions and temporary geopolitical alignments masked tensions, the dispute’s aftermath fostered the emergence of a Third World outlook, though in a tempered and qualified form.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract How do international institutions adapt to structural changes in global power? We examine the WTO amid escalating US-China tensions. The WTO, central to the post-Cold War order, faces a multidimensional crisis exacerbated by the trade tensions between these nations. We assess the Thucydides Trap crisis within institutional change literature through four pieces of evidence: (i) the case of non-recognition of China as a market economy; (ii) USA-China relations among 636 complaints in the DSB; (iii) data on the Appellate Body representation; and(iv) ‘trade war’ crisis and unilateral trade strategies. Findings reveal that US diplomacy undermines the institutional body from within, compelling institutional change by preferring discretion rather than rule-making, through conversion, drift, layering, and displacement, disrupting dispute resolution, blocking the Appellate Body, and implementing authoritative rule interpretation. As a result, the US increasingly bypassed WTO mechanisms, relying on unilateral strategies. This dysfunction weakens the multilateral trade regime, raising concerns over the WTO’s ability to regulate international trade effectively.

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Abstract This article investigates the structural, institutional, and financial determinants of national performance in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Using cross-sectional data for 193 countries and Ordinary Least Squares regression models, it compares three explanatory dimensions: governance quality, foreign direct investment (FDI), and productive sophistication measured by the Economic Complexity Index (ECI). Results show that economic complexity is the strongest and most consistent predictor of SDG performance, while institutional indicators and FDI exhibit limited statistical significance. The analysis explains 64% of cross-national variance in SDG scores, confirming that productive capabilities, rather than governance or financial inflows, drive sustainable development outcomes. Conceptually, the paper situates these findings within the political economy debate on the global financial architecture, arguing that current frameworks reproduce structural asymmetries and fail to support long-term transformation. The study concludes that mission-oriented industrial and innovation policies — aligned with green and inclusive objectives — are essential to combine economic diversification with sustainable and equitable growth.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract This article presents the foreign policy index, a quantitative empirical instrument whose objective is to measure Brazilian foreign policy engagement in a time series with 191 countries and 26 years. Through a factor analysis of 6 key variables for Brazil’s international insertion, we constructed the foreign policy index based on three central dimensions: commercial, diplomatic and regional. In order to assess the validity of the index, we resorted to a systematic analysis of the most cited articles in the specialized literature on Brazilian foreign policy, analyzing the convergence between the arguments mobilized in the texts and the index scores for the sample presented. The results indicate good convergence between both, consolidating the perception of the validity and usefulness of the index as an empirical instrument to measure Brazilian foreign policy engagement.