Desafios de uma política externa assertiva

This article examines the main challenges which the present Brazilian government will probably have to face in carrying out the foreign policy announced by presidential candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and reaffirmed by the President's first statements and initiatives. The grand design of that policy entails a considerable shift from that pursued by different Brazilian governments since 1990 and has many points in common with some traditional concerns of our diplomacy while innovating in others. The main challenges it will face relate to the complexity of today's Brazil and the peculiarities of the world order after the end of the Cold War and especially after September 11, 2001.