The Limits of the Neighborhood: South-West Africa, the South Atlantic, and the Concept of Region in Brazilian Foreign Policy

• In Event: Brazil and China in Africa: South-South Engagement in Comparative Perspective

Abstract

Brazil has sought deeper engagement with African countries--particularly those with in the South Atlantic coast--in the last 15 years. In military terms, Brazilian authorities conceive such ocean as a vital space for Brazilian sovereignty. Yet, why is South-West Africa (broadly defined as the coastal states from Senegal to South Africa) not considered part of Brazil's regional complex? I contend that it is the case due to the relative low participation of that group of states in Brazilian international economic relations. In contrast to South America, South-West Africa remains with far less than 10 percent of all Brazil's exports. The paper builds the argument by contrasting the military and economic approaches to the partners located in the other side of the South Atlantic, concluding that if they were conceived as being part of Brazil's region, the country's foreign policy towards Africa could be more effective vis-a-vis the Chinese expansion in the continent.

Author

• Vinicius G Rodrigues Vieira