Brazil as a Regional Power in Latin America or South America?

The policy brief examines Brazil's transition from viewing itself as separate from Spanish America to becoming an emerging regional power focused on South America. It details how the concept of 'Latin America' was historically used by Spanish and French intellectuals to exclude Brazil, and how the United States later imposed a cohesive 'Latin American' identity on the region for its own geopolitical interests. While Brazil previously aligned closely with the US, it has more recently pursued a policy of engagement with its immediate South American neighbours, leading to the creation of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) in 2008. The author concludes that Brazil now views regional power in South America as a prerequisite for global influence, though it faces challenges from Venezuela's alternative Bolivarian project.

• Historically, Brazil did not identify with the concept of 'América Latina', which was developed by Spanish and French intellectuals in the 1850s and 1860s to exclude Brazil based on differences in language, culture, and political institutions.
• The United States was the first entity to treat Brazil as part of a cohesive Latin American region, a view that evolved during the 1930s and the Cold War to serve US economic and geo-political interests.
• Despite its growth and dominance in the region between 1940 and 1980, Brazil initially resisted playing a leadership role or acting as a regional 'sheriff' as envisioned by the US State Department.
• Since the mid-1990s, Brazil has shifted its foreign policy to actively engage with South America specifically, rather than the broader Western hemisphere, leading to the formation of the Mercosur trade bloc and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) in 2008.
• Brazil currently views its role as a regional power in South America as a necessary stepping stone toward achieving global power, although it must navigate the alternative 'Bolivarian project' (ALBA) offered by Venezuela.

APA

Bethell, L. (2010). Brazil as a Regional Power in Latin America or South America? South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Policy-Briefing-13.pdf

Chicago

Bethell, Leslie. Brazil as a Regional Power in Latin America or South America? South African Institute of International Affairs, 2010. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Policy-Briefing-13.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bethell |first1=Leslie |title=Brazil as a Regional Power in Latin America or South America? |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=January 2010 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Policy-Briefing-13.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bethell2010brazil, author = {Bethell, Leslie}, title = {{Brazil as a Regional Power in Latin America or South America?}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2010}, month = jan, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Policy-Briefing-13.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }