Latin American Responses to the Rise of Brazil

Abstract

Brazil has risen. The might of its economy and international activism have attracted considerable attention from academic, economic and political analysts (Sweig, 2010; Burges, 2013), who have identified its potential international influence, while others have noted its limitations (Schirm, 2010; Malamud, 2011). However, with a few exceptions (Flemes and Lobell, 2015), relatively little attention has been paid to how other countries in Latin America have perceived and responded to the rise of Brazil. This Special Issue is an attempt to fill this gap. Empirically, the special issue studies the impact of the emergence of Brazil upon five Latin American countries and how these perceive and face the rise of Brazil as a regional and international power. The purpose is to unpack the essence and the projection of Brazil's power as felt in the region, and to assess the place that Brazil has in the foreign policy of other Latin American countries. The key questions are: What has been the real impact of the rise of Brazil on the rest of Latin America? How have other Latin American countries responded to it? Theoretically, from the perspective of international relations, balance-of-power theory suggests that great powers prompt reactions among other states of either bandwagoning or balancing. Is this theory, developed during the Cold War (Waltz, 1979; Walt, 1985) still applicable? Or do most recent concepts such as hedging (Cheng-Chwee and Lee, 2008), or soft balancing (Paul, 2005) better capture the post-Cold War and the current scenarios? Or do newly emerging powers cause innovative foreign policy responses and reactions? Using Brazil and Latin America as case studies, this Special Issue tests such theories, particularly by examining the response of those in the orbit of the powerful neighbour rather than the emerging country itself. We ask: Has the rise of Brazil prompted a clear coping strategy in Latin American countries? Can this response be understood as balancing, bandwagoning, hedging or some new typology? Our findings may thus offer significant insights for cases beyond the Americas. The team of contributors is a well-balanced mix of experts in Latin American politics and international relations who come from diverse academic backgrounds and perspectives, but prioritising Latin American voices. The special issue unfolds as follows. Gian Luca Gardini explores first the state of the debate on Brazil's rise. Roberto Russell and Juan Gabriel Tokatlian, a Buenos Aires-based duo of established international reputation, assess the Argentine perspective on the rise of Brazil under the Kirchners. Peter Lambert, a recognised authority in Paraguayan politics, dissects the Paraguayan reaction to the rise of the neighbouring giant. Ana Covarrubias of the Colegio de Mexico, analyses the perspective of the other major rising power in Latin America: Mexico. Leslie Wehner, a Chilean scholar long-based in Europe, studies the complex case of Chile. Daniel Flemes and Rafael de Castro explore the interesting contestation strategy of Colombia, another emerging market in the continent.