The Brazil at MINUSTAH influencing Brazil in the southern cone: preliminary evidence of the contribution of military diplomacy to sovereign insertion

Abstract

Taking the fact that this is a complex object of study, this subject is ontologically analyzed under the Military Sciences  perspective, main paradigm, with contributions of the Political Science and the International Relations: auxiliary paradigms. The literature review encompasses the origin, the evolution and contemporary perspectives of the United Nations as to the International Security and the Peacekeeping Operations, which leads to the appreciation of concepts such as the ‘Capstone doctrine’ and the ‘protection responsibility’ as well as the differentiation between ‘peace building’ and ‘peace enforcement’. Aspects associated with the ‘Theories of Peace’, with the ‘Studies of Peace’ and with the difficulties the international system has to conquer and to maintain a peace environment are (re)visited. The Brazilian participation in peace missions is observed in a comprehensive manner, while MINUSTAH is analyzed in a specific way, both through literature review and documentary sources as through field research, which was conducted under qualitative methodology and with the support of ex Force commanders. In
this analysis, it is highlighted the focus on tools and the approach that truly enables the accomplishment of the mandate’s goals
that underpins the mission. From this analysis we understand that the military component has been achieving success in ensuring a safe and stable environment. At the same time, it is made clear that the Brazilian contribution plays a preponderant role in such a scenario. At this point, an analysis is conducted correlating the actions in Haiti and the dynamics of Brazil’s foreign policy with its neighbors in the Southern Cone, delimited by Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. It is a way of learning the participation of these countries in Haiti as well as diplomatic post-decolonization relationship, so to have a contemporary perception that permits a study covering the situation before and after MINUSTAH. The empiric results suggest that military cooperation in Haiti and in the South Cone keeps certain interdependency.