Brazil: Making room at the main table

A quick perusal of Brazilian diplomatic history can bring a few surprises for readers grounded in the standard Western texts on twentieth-century events. Brazil was at the table when the Treaty of Versailles was negotiated after the First World War and held a place on the Council of the League of Nations. It was the only active South American participant in the Second World War, sending troops to fight in the Italian campaign. Brazil contributed to the formation of the United Nations (UN) system, winning the honour of giving the first speech at each year’s UN General Assembly, although not acquiring the much-desired permanent seat on the Security Council. Brazil was one of the seventeen nations that negotiated the formation of the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs. In short, Brazil has a long history of actively engaging in global governance institutions and the substance of international diplomacy. But much to the annoyance of its diplomats working in the Foreign Ministry’s Itamaraty Palace, Brazil also has a long history of being largely ignored or marginalised by the Great Powers in global affairs and strong-armed or side-stepped in regional matters. The idea that Brazil matters and that the country’s counsel is desired and actively sought at major international meetings is something that has generally not received much public attention, despite the sustained official consultations that have been conducted by influential individuals such as Henry Kissinger.1 The change seen today is that major Powers are openly giving credence to Brazil’s voice, resulting in Brazilian inclusion at globally important diplomatic tables.