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Abstract
Within the context of the post-Cold War period, rising power states have developed new regional and global interests, including with respect to Antarctica. In this paper, we analyse the role of Antarctica within Brazil’s rising power strategy, defined in terms of the foreign policy, defence strategy, and science and technology goals promoted by its policy elites. Focusing on the past decade, we find that Antarctica has gained greater visibility in all three aspects of Brazil’s rising power strategy. Regionally, Antarctica has become an important element within Brazil’s new defence policy for the South Atlantic region, as well as a way for Brazil to enhance cooperation with other South American states. In terms of its global ambitions, becoming a more active player within the Antarctic Treaty System is seen as a way for Brazil to participate more directly in debates with global reach. Finally, Antarctic research is viewed as a promising component of Brazil’s efforts to boost its science and technology capacity, and therefore its socio-economic development and competitiveness. In attaining these goals, Brazil faces a number of hurdles that became more evident after a 2012 fire destroyed most of its Antarctic base, although reconstruction efforts have produced new dynamics of cooperation, domestically and internationally.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the Pró-Defesa research programme, CAPES, and FAPERJ for supporting this project. In addition, we are grateful to Jefferson Cardia Simões and Rogério Gandra for their thoughtful feedback on an earlier draft of this paper.
Notes
1 Organski, World Politics.
2 Tank, The Concept of Rising Powers.
3 Tank, The Concept of Rising Powers, 3.
4 Kahler, “Rising Powers.”
5 Hurrell, “Brazil: What Kind of Rising State.”
6 Bath, “Política antártica,” 343.
7 Penha, “Geografia política.”
8 A confidential note was sent to the US embassy to protest about the criteria adopted for participation in the conference, Brazil claimed that the scientific research criteria was unacceptable since the conference would focus on other aspects as well. See: Ferreira, O sistema do Tratado da Antártida, 117.
9 There were attempts to organize Antarctic expeditions in the early 1970s, but the Brazilian government discouraged these initiatives out of fear that they could be interpreted as implying territorial claims. See Ferreira, O sistema do Tratado da Antártida, 126. In addition, between 1957 and 1983, 23 Brazilian scientists participated in expeditions organized by other countries. See Bath “A política antártica brasileira,” 348.
10 de Freitas, “Lições organizacionais,” 917.
11 Bath, “Política antártica brasileira.”
12 Villa, A Antártida no sistema internacional.
13 Hansom and Gordon, Antarctic Environments.
14 ESG, Antártica, 34.
15 Abdenur, “A Política Externa Brasileira.”
16 Agenda Antártica, 2005b.
17 Agenda Antártica, 2005a.
18 For more information see: http://www2.camara.leg.br/camaranoticias/noticias/ADMINISTRACAO-PUBLICA/134250-CONGRESSO-COMEMORA-OS-50-ANOS-DO-TRATADO-DA-ANTARTICA.html.
19 For more information see: http://www12.senado.gov.br/noticias/materias/2007/03/13/zambiasi-lembra-visita-a-antartica-e-alerta-para-falta-de-recursos.
20 For more information see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/portuguese/reporterbbc/story/2008/02/080215_marantartida.shtml.
21 The christening of the Brazilian ships in honour of naval officers can be seen as an example of the importance of the Brazilian Navy in the development of Brazilian research in Antarctica. Admiral Maximiano Eduardo da Silva Fonseca served as Navy Minister from 1979 to 1984, the period when PRONATAR was launched (1982).
22 Tânia Monteiro and Rui Nogueira, “Marinha compra navio para base antártica,” Estado de São Paulo, May 2, 2008, http://www.mar.mil.br/hotsites/sala_imprensa/marinha_na_midia/jornal_revista/Coletaneamarinhanamidia2008/05%20Maio%202008/EstSP_NavioOceanograficoCompra.pdf.
23 The Frente Parlamentar PROANTAR currently has 54 senators and 121 congressional representatives. For additional information see: http://www.senado.gov.br/senado/frenteproantar/quemsomos.asp.
27 Gandra and Simões, “Dialética Científico-Ambiental.”
28 The pre-salt layer is a geological formation laid down before a salt layer accumulated above, during the separation of Gondwana.
29 PND, National Defence Policy, 4.1.
30 PND, National Defence Policy, 27.
33 Barreto, “Estação Antártica.”
38 Fernandes et al., “Desenvolvimento Desigual.”
40 Duhá, Programa Antártico.
41 MCTI Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, 2.
42 MCTI Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, 23.
43 MCTI Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, 3.
44 Hemmings, “Security Beyond Claims.”