South−South cooperation and democracy in Africa: Brazil’s role in Guinea-Bissau

Over the past decade, Brazilian foreign policy has struggled to balance two principles: respect for national sovereignty and the commitment to promote democracy and human rights both at home and abroad. Understanding how this balancing act affects Brazil’s relations with Africa has become particular...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Africa review (New Delhi) 2013-07, Vol.5 (2), p.104-117
Main Authors: Abdenur, Adriana Erthal, de Souza Neto, Danilo Marcondes
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Africa
Brazil
Democracy
Drug trafficking
Freedom of assembly
Guinea-Bissau
Human rights
International organizations
Local elections
Politics
South Africa
South−South cooperation
Sovereignty
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Summary:Over the past decade, Brazilian foreign policy has struggled to balance two principles: respect for national sovereignty and the commitment to promote democracy and human rights both at home and abroad. Understanding how this balancing act affects Brazil’s relations with Africa has become particularly important because Brazilian cooperation with African partners has expanded considerably over the past decade. This article analyzes Brazil’s initiatives in democracy and human rights promotion in the context of Guinea-Bissau. We find that Brazil’s initiatives in this area are channeled through two interconnected venues: multilaterally, especially through the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries and the UN Peacebuilding Commission, and bilaterally, through the official technical development cooperation programs coordinated by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency. We argue that, in the case of Guinea-Bissau, Brazil has worked to maintain institution-building as an essential component of development and security efforts to stabilize the country.
ISSN:0974-4053
0974-4061
DOI:10.1080/09744053.2013.855356