A permanent seat in the UN Security Council is not only associated with political power, but also international prestige, for which reasons being a member has been one of Brazil’s foreign policy goals since its creation. One way to attain this objective has been through engagement in UN peacekeeping operations. Contemplating both, Brazil’s aim of being a permanent member in the Council, and a country’s efforts international peacekeeping missions rendering it eligible for the attainment of such a position, reveal the importance of examining Brazil’s past peacekeeping missions. After outlining several conceptions of peacekeeping missions, this analysis evaluates Brazil's engagement in international peacekeeping missions which is an imperative factor for becoming a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Table of Contents
1. Why does Brazil qualify to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council with regards to its commitment undertook in international peacekeeping efforts?
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper examines whether Brazil’s involvement in international peacekeeping missions serves as a valid justification for its aspiration to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council, specifically analyzing how these efforts align with the country's constitutional principles and foreign policy goals.
- Evolution of Brazil’s peacekeeping involvement from the 20th century to the present.
- Analysis of peacekeeping missions under UN Charter Chapters VI and VII.
- The role of key presidential administrations (Cardoso, Lula, Rousseff) in shaping peacekeeping policy.
- Examination of the "Responsibility While Protecting" concept as a Brazilian diplomatic alternative.
- The tension between Brazil's non-interventionist constitution and the requirements of global peace operations.
Extract from the Book
Why does Brazil qualify to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council with regards to its commitment undertook in international peacekeeping efforts?
It was in 2013, when the now impeached president of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff stated ‘É preocupante a limitada representação do Conselho face os novos desafios do século XXI’ (Estadão, September 24, 2013). Referring to the Security Council of the UN she expressed her concern about the legitimacy deficit of the Council and its necessary reconfiguration in the 21th century. A permanent seat in the UN Security Council is not only associated with political power, but also international prestige, for which reasons being a member has been one of Brazil’s foreign policy goals since its creation. One way to attain this objective has been through engagement in UN peacekeeping operations (Bracey 2011, 315-316). In Article 23 of Chapter V in the UN Charta some criteria of eligibility for a membership in the Council are specified, among which the engagement in maintenance of international peace and security is particularly highlighted (UN Charter art. XXIII, para. I.).
Contemplating both, Brazil’s aim of being a permanent member in the Council, and a country’s efforts international peacekeeping missions rendering it eligible for the attainment of such a position, reveal the importance of examining Brazil’s past peacekeeping missions. For this purpose, first there shall be outlined the academic debate on various types of peacekeeping, considering most notable the articles VI and VII of the UN Charta. Incidences of Brazilian peacekeeping efforts are then embedded in the debate in chronological order. First, the period before the military regime (1964-1985) is being discussed, focusing on the important figure of Rui Barbosa. Second, peacekeeping missions from after the dictatorship are enumerated, among which there shall be examined two in particular, being the mission in East Timor under Fernando Cardoso and the mission in Haiti under Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva. This analysis will allow for a better understanding of the nature of Brazilian peacekeeping which is imperative for becoming a permanent member.
Summary of Chapters
1. Why does Brazil qualify to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council with regards to its commitment undertook in international peacekeeping efforts?: This introductory section outlines the research motivation, connecting Brazil's historical and contemporary peacekeeping efforts to its long-standing foreign policy goal of obtaining a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
Keywords
Brazil, UN Security Council, Peacekeeping, Foreign Policy, Chapter VII, Responsibility While Protecting, MINUSTAH, East Timor, Angola, International Relations, Non-intervention, Diplomacy, Humanitarian Assistance, Permanent Member, Global Power
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The work investigates the correlation between Brazil's engagement in international peacekeeping missions and its stated objective of becoming a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
What are the central thematic fields explored?
The paper covers Brazilian foreign policy, the evolution of UN peacekeeping concepts, and the legal tension between domestic non-intervention principles and international military mandates.
What is the core research question?
The research asks how Brazil’s commitments to peacekeeping operations justify its qualification for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, especially considering its history of participation.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The study uses a historical-analytical approach, reviewing academic debates, UN Charter articles, and chronologically analyzing Brazil's specific mission contributions across different presidential terms.
What is covered in the main body of the text?
The body analyzes missions from the pre-military regime era to the administrations of Itamar Franco, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, and Lula da Silva, with a special focus on Angola, East Timor, and Haiti.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is best defined by terms such as Brazil, UN Security Council, Peacekeeping, Chapter VII, and Responsibility While Protecting.
How does the Brazilian Constitution conflict with UN mandates?
Brazil's constitution strictly adheres to the principle of non-intervention, which complicates participation in Chapter VII missions that allow for military intervention without the host country's consent.
What is the "Responsibility While Protecting" approach?
It is a conceptual framework proposed by Brazil in response to the Western "Responsibility to Protect," aiming to place more emphasis on the responsibility to prevent and react through a more balanced approach.
Why was the MINUSTAH mission in Haiti particularly significant for Brazil?
MINUSTAH served as a landmark mission because it was a Chapter VII operation in a non-Lusophone country, signaling Brazil’s ambition to act as a significant global player on its own right.
- Quote paper
- Amadia Kilic (Author), 2016, Brazil. The Construction of a World Power, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/448488
