Internacia: Revista de relaciones internacionales

Los límites geopolíticos de Brasil o los problemas de una potencia oscilante

José Alexandre Altahyde Hage, Lucas De Marco Fernandes — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 00:00:00 -0500

Our objective in this essay is to try to demonstrate that Brazil left the exercise of a foreign policy that had the goal of to question the international system than properly a strategic planning of strong national impacts, mainly in issues that go through the international regimes, inter-state organizations and the multilateral cooperation of the developing countries. We make clear that not only the critical reflection of the foreign policy has cooled in recent history, but also that the country left the use, in a great part, of the geopolitical reflections that formed governmental and intellectual boards after the Second World War. Our time period covers especially the 1990s until 2010, passing through the governments of the former presidents Fernando Collor de Mello, Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, where we discourse about important issues as the influence of the so-called neoliberalism, the items that take Brazil to the perpetuation of its peripheral position before the international system, and the national challenges that play against the elevation of the country in such system. Our method of investigation in this analysis is the bibliographic revision of the national foreign policy and geopolitical areas related to the construction of the brazilian national power. For this, we also appeal to the studies of important experts in this matter, as the geographer Messias da Costa and the political scientist Oliveiros Ferreira, without leaving to imprint, obviously, our point-of-view regarding so important vectors for the elevation of Brazil as international potency.

China antes de su ascenso: El esplendor del imperio y el Siglo de la Humillación, 1680-1945

Javier Alcalde Cardoza — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 00:00:00 -0500

The article begins with the realization that China has arrived to the top level of the state hierarchy and has already established, together with the United States, a new bipolar international order.
From this perspective, the article examines the historical profile of the Asian power, giving a quick look to the main stages of its modern evolution. The main purpose of the author is to underline certain traits and episodes that reveal the particular texture of the Chinese nation and state, its main strengths and vulnerabilities, as well as some of the main motives, fears and concerns that have driven its social actors and statesmen. In addition, the article deals with the connection between China´s political and economic evolution as well as with the main changes operated in its relations with the outside world.
The article presents the peak period of the Chinese Empire, 1680-1780, dwelling subsequently on the causes of its fall, which, beginning with the Opium War (1840), has been denominated the Century of Humiliation (up to 1949). The article underlines that China attempted major reforms in the second half of the 19th century, before Japan, and analyzes the causes of their failure. It focuses next on the Nationalist Revolution (1911), which ended with the ossified empire but was dominated by internal conflict and anarchy, and Japanese penetration. Nevertheless it encouraged the appearance of the idea of China as a modern nation, allowed a moderate flourishing of capitalism and a revolutionary attempt of the proletariat in urban China, as well as the strengthening of the bases of communism in the countryside.

Turquía potencia media, regional y ¿pacificadora? La política exterior turca y la evolución constante de su identidad

Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 00:00:00 -0500

The purpose of this article is to highlight Turkey’s projection as emergent, middle and peaceful power in its natural regional zone, Middle East and Central Asia, but also its increasing influence in the main issues of the global agenda. The research approaches Turkish foreign policy from a constructivist point of view considering that Turkey has gained influence in global issues since its relationships with Western powers changed. Therefore, Turkey claims a successful combination of democracy and Islam (even if this idea has inspired criticism), a political regime stabilization after decades of turmoil, and has joined United States and Europe’s consensus about world order.

La doctrina en política exterior de India y su rol en el nuevo reequilibrio de poder en el sistema internacional

Mario López Areu — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 00:00:00 -0500

This paper examines the position of India, as an emerging superpower, within the current rebalancing of power in the international system. A system characterised by the rise of China and multipolarity. Applying a methodology based on Foreign policy analysis (FPA), in the first part of the paper, we analyse the historical evolution of Indian foreign policy from independence in 1947 until today so to examine the actors, structures and values that gave birth to the doctrines that form it. In the second part, we assess the role that India may play in the current changing and unstable international context. To do so, applying theoretical concepts linked to geopolitics, we present Indian geostrategic interests based on three spheres of influence and we critically analyse the negotiating culture of its diplomatic corps to understand the aspirations that India has for itself and the role it could play in the new multipolar world order. The paper’s main conclusions are three. First, Indian foreign policy has had, historically, important idealist and normative components. This makes the institutional culture less adaptable to the changing strategic interests of the country. Second, in a scenario of big power competition, the rise of China represents important risks to the geostrategic interest of India, and this has led the country to try to react, although constrained by the institutional culture in its foreign policy. Third, in a scenario of multipolar global governance, the multilateral culture of Indian foreign policy could position the country in a place of influence in the building of large agreements on the major international challenges we face.

Accionar de Sudáfrica como potencia emergente

Manuel Augusto Diez Alarcón — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 00:00:00 -0500

Ever since that South Africa was admitted like a member of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), its regional leadership was limited to the African Austral. This can be appreciated in the little commercial bonding with the continent, due to its principal economic partners are in Asia, in addition its limited participation in the peacekeeping operations the ongoing in this part of the world, show us its little leadership in matters of security and defense of the Africa continent, fundamental aspect to consolidated like a regional leader; All this added to the polarized socioeconomic situation that present its population and the high indexes of corruption that exist in the government, could limit its aspirations of consolidated like a "rising power" of this part of the globe. However, its geopolitical potential, that is support in its geostrategic location, its abundance in natural resources, principally in mining and its soft power, that use to promotion the multilateralism, democratic principles, the equality and the defense of human rights, they place to South African in a position of great expectative for this international Forum.

Poder blando y diplomacia cultural de India. El caso de Argentina

Sabrina Victoria Victoria Olivera — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 00:00:00 -0500

The aim of this paper is to study the cultural diplomacy of the Republic of India in the Republic of Argentina, through a qualitative approach and the use of the technique consisting in document analysis. To achieve those objectives, the characteristics of the Indian soft power will be presented, as a way to show a certain image to the world. Coined by Joseph Nye, that concept refers to the ability of modify other states’ preferences and their perceptions through inmaterial sources such as ideological and cultural attraction, rules and institutions. It consists in the ability to obtain what one pursues through persuasion and intangible aspects instead of coercion. Related to soft power, the concept of cultural diplomacy will be studied, understood as the use of cultural factors in international relations by state actors and those who do not fulfill that exigence. After mentioning the relation between India and Latin America and the Caribean, which presents a lack of diplomatic reciprocity, this work will focus on Argentina as a case of study. It is concluded that the cultural diplomacy of India in Argentina is mixed due to the fact that it is pursue by the diplomatic representation in the South American country –triggered by initiatives ordered by the central administration in India- and mostly by other private actors that have approached the indian culture and replicated that practice. This approach appears to stem from trainings in India and the cultural penetration policy implied by the South Asian country in Argentina.