THE CPLP AS A MECHANISM OF ACTING FOR BRAZIL IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC: THE INCREASE OF COOPERATION, THE CHALLENGES AND THE POSSIBILITIES OF LEADERSHIP

In its 21 years of existence, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) has progressively evolved from a multilateral forum of socio-political-diplomatic focus to a geostrategic mechanism focused on the South Atlantic, expanding its activity to other areas, such as security and regional defense. In this regard, the article analyses how this evolution of the status of the CPLP, enveloping more functions and possibilities of interaction between its members and other States and organizations, discussing how Brazil has been established as leadership in the institution since its creation. The current challenges of the Community are brought up, such as the dispute for leadership between Brazil and Portugal, the expansion of cooperation and the entry of new member-States. As a research generating question, it’s understood that this leadership, although competed with Portugal, has solidified the South Atlantic as an area of Brazilian priority activity in the twenty first century. In terms of method, the research is classified, because of the objective, as descriptive and explicative, through the hypothetical-deductive method and a qualitative approach, analyzing primary and secondary sources.