La evolución del imaginario geopolítico de Brasil

Abstract

The following article proposes a critical analysis on the constitution of the Brazilian geopolitical imagery, stretching from the time of Brazil’s independence to the beginning of the 21st century. More specifically, the text recognises the impact of the country’s colonial past on Brazil’s prevalent geopolitical thinking. That, along with the significance of certain geopolitical thinkers, theoretical approaches and specific socio-political contexts, would explain why factors such as the need to have a state-led plan that promotes integration in furtherance of progress, and Brazil’s hegemonic overreach at the regional and global levels, have been historically dominant in the Brazilian geopolitical vision. Similarly, it is argued that the concern to achieve an effective unification of the national territory, by means of carrying out projects to populate the Amazon, featured predominantly in the geopolitical strategies of Brazilian leaders. These strategies brought about effects visible within and beyond Brazil’s borders, the latter as regional integration initiatives.