Brazil’s defense policy in the 21st century

Abstract

The XXI century presents itself with antagonistic issues and latent uncertainties. Accordingly, nations have sought to adjust their defense policies to their real interests in the internal and external environment and to the development of capabilities in order to oppose to emerging threats. Brazil has, over the past two decades, gone through reformulations regarding its Defense Policy. Recently, in 2012, with the emergence of the National Defense White Book and with the updates of the National Defense Policy and Strategy, this issue seems to have gained new momentum. The current context in which the country seeks to establish itself as a regional power and be increasingly launched into the international scenario, reinforces the importance of the topic. However, the country must face some important future challenges, as the protection of the Blue Amazon and freshwater resources, the conduction of major events and the quest for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. In this sense, this work aims at analyzing the current situation of the Brazilian Defense Policy, checking the relevance assigned to it and inferring the importance of this policy to the Great Brazilian Strategy.