Setting the stage for Brazil's rise to power
Brazil’s rise onto the world stage and its implications for Latin America and the world will be examined at a two-day conference beginning today.
The conference, Regional reactions to the rise of Brazil: Latin America and the shifting sands of global power, will examine what Brazil’s ‘arrival’ means for the domestic and foreign policies of its neighbouring countries.
Conference organiser Dr Sean Burges from the Australian National Centre for Latin American Studies in the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences said that Brazil’s rise is having a major impact on countries throughout South America.
“Brazil's rise is the result of opportunities created by rising commodity prices and nearly two decades of sound macroeconomic policy that has been used to fund social programs that have made a serious dent in the country's dramatic poverty statistics,” said Dr Burges.
“Brazil's rise has created a more muscular, regionally-engaged actor that is not only buying up neighbouring companies and engaging in heavy foreign direct investment programs, but also increasingly taking a strong stance to manage a range of criminal and security issues impacting Brazilian society. Brazil is not an actor that other regional countries can ignore or even seriously cross.”
Speakers include:
Juan Jose Garcia, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, El Salvador
Professor Sandra Borda, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia
Associate Professor Miguel Carter, American University, USA
Dr Daniella di Paramo, Griffith University
Dr Mahrukh Doctor, University of Hull, UK
Dr Timothy Power, University of Oxford, UK