Brazil has a society deeply marked by the legacy of the colonial system, which perpetuated racist practices since the 15th century. These racist relations are not limited to the internal context of the country but also extend to the international scenario. Based on some reflections on Brazil’s action in Haiti, we ask what would be an anti-racist foreign policy, at a time when feminist foreign policies are relevant and debates on the creation of a Brazilian National Foreign Policy Council, CONPEB, are resumed.
The process of building Brazil as a nation was closely linked to the Western model imposed by the colonial metropolises, which, over time, managed to consolidate themselves as the main powers on the world stage. Decolonization, in this context, was quite limited to the parameters defined by the former metropolises. Thus, the emergence of new nation-states in the 19th and 20th centuries followed an exclusionary logic, as it imposed adherence to the current world system marked by racist and Eurocentric structures.
Countries considered developing or underdeveloped were included based on the global division of labor, which placed them in a subordinate position. This reinforced a structure of political, social and cultural domination which, according to sociologist Aníbal Quijano, reflected the transition from colonialism to imperialism. We speak, then, of the “coloniality of power,” a phenomenon based on the expansion of global capitalism and sustained by racial difference.
In addition to inter-state politics, the genesis of the field of International Relations is directly related to this capitalist and racist international system. The current wave of decolonization of studies in the field seeks to break with the Western and North Atlantic canon, questioning the scientific racism of the 18th and 19th centuries and promoting the inclusion of subjects, perspectives and narratives previously marginalized and silenced. According to researchers Arlene Tickner and Karen Smith, it is necessary to question the very way in which knowledge is produced, questioning the origin and universal character of categories and concepts, in addition to recognizing the multiple visions that exist outside the North Atlantic axis.
In this scenario, Brazilian foreign policy (PEB for its acronym in Portuguese) emerges as an important field of debate. From a peripheral “place”, Brazil must propose and promote more inclusive and anti-racist global agendas. The valorization of historically subaltern voices and the critique of a racist international system are fundamental elements in the coherent articulation between domestic and international policies that pay attention to Brazil’s role as representative of the Global South. Indeed, for the transformation of the world order and social justice, it is essential that the PEB is committed to overcoming the structural racism that still permeates global governance and its institutions.
We understand an anti-racist policy to be the pursuit of ethnic-racial equality, with a view to historical redress. In terms of local and global public policies, this means ensuring that all people, regardless of their ethnic or racial origin, have equal access to rights, benefits, and opportunities in all aspects of life. Therefore, this should be Brazil’s main objective: committing to the eradication of all forms of social discrimination, ethnic-racial inclusion and ensuring that all citizens have access to public goods and services, in addition to active and effective participation in democratic life.
Brazil must seek global social justice, rejecting non-representative governance and salvationist narratives that conceal imperialist practices, such as those observed in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).
Foreign policy analysis and management must prioritize the fight against racism, using ethnic-racial and gender indicators. In addition, social participation is essential to include diverse groups in the construction, implementation, and evaluation of Brazilian foreign policy, focusing on confronting structural and institutional racism at the local and global levels.
An important proposal is the creation of a Brazilian National Foreign Policy Council (CONPEB), which would be a space for the active participation of civil society in the instruction and decisions in the field of foreign policy. This council would play a fundamental role in the democratization of foreign policy, allowing historically marginalized social groups, such as black, quilombolas and indigenous populations, to influence decisions and ensure that their demands are heard.
The creation of CONPEB would be essential to guarantee democratic consistency in the face of anti-democratic governments, such as that of Jair Bolsonaro, and to strengthen dialogue and action in progressive governments, consolidating Brazil’s commitment to human rights in the international arena.
In 2024, the Brazilian government’s proposal to create a Social Summit at the G20 was an example of an effort to revitalize social participation in foreign policy discussions. As pointed out by several experts, this initiative, together with the creation of the Social Participation System by the current Lula government, could help different civil society groups, such as social movements, NGOs, academic organizations and other entities, to take an active role in the formulation of principles, definition of priorities and objectives of Brazil’s foreign policy.
CONPEB could strengthen, for example, South-South Cooperation, promoting new parameters for international cooperation and the development of peoples and countries. In building a more structured foreign policy, less sensitive to changes of government and more active in relation to Brazilian constitutional principles, CONPEB could serve as a forum for dialogue, incorporating and, at the same time, influencing transnational networks of social movements, such as black, peasant and indigenous movements, which are becoming increasingly important in global governance today.
As we argue in our research “For an anti-racist foreign policy for Brazil: the opportunity presented by Haiti”, to be published soon, it is time-sensitive that Brazil adopt an anti-racist character in its foreign policy. This means establishing more cooperative and supportive ties with the countries of the Global South, through a commitment to reclaim the demands of excluded peoples for greater social justice in the structure of global governance. Especially if the country intends to promote significant changes in the structure of global capitalist exploitation, Itamaraty must be opened to social participation. Although of a consultative nature and limited to actors with knowledge and experience in the different agendas of global governance, CONPEB will allow the participation of new social groups in the foreign agenda, with attention to Brazilian ethnic-racial diversity and Brazil’s relations with the world.
*Machine translation proofread by Janaína da Silva.
Autor
PhD in Human and Social Sciences from the Federal University of ABC. Professor at the Institute of International Relations and Defense of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and Collaborating Professor in the Postgraduate Program in Strategic Studies of Defense and Security of the Federal University of Fluminense.
Researcher, professor and CAPES postdoctoral fellow at the Federal University of Goiás (UFG), activist and professional of South-South international cooperation at the Center for Studies and Articulation of South-South Cooperation (ASUL), she is currently substitute advisor of CONSEA
