The Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries in Brazilian Foreign Policy: More or Less Than a Geopolitical Asset?
摘要
Multilateralism has been a transversal axis at various moments in Brazil’s foreign policy, including the period of the military regime. Despite some changes in the conduct of foreign policy, throughout the twenty-first century, multilateralism remained a fundamental element of Brazilian geopolitics, particularly when seeking greater international protagonism and influence. Considering the multilateral approach of Brazilian foreign policy, but also considering its African dimension, this chapter will focus on the analysis of Brazil’s relationship with the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), created in 1996. As a multilateral body but also as a geopolitical asset, the CPLP includes some of the African countries with which Brazil has developed, in some governments, a closer bilateral relationship, such as Angola or Mozambique. Africa is, in fact, a continent that, especially in the first decade of the twenty-first century, received preferential attention from Brazil. Nevertheless, the CPLP is also a peculiar organisation whose evolution has been erratic. Guided by political cooperation, diplomatic consultation, and the promotion of the Portuguese language, the commitment of each of the Member States is not always clear, and strong leadership has been absent. In this context, what is Brazil’s relationship with the CPLP? Is there a Brazilian strategy for the CPLP, or is its engagement merely instrumental and occasional? In this sense, how can the CPLP be understood within the framework of Brazilian foreign policy: as a multilateral instrument that helps achieve foreign policy objectives or as a geopolitical tool?