This book analyzes Brazilian foreign policy after the democratic opening of the country in the mid-1980s. To illuminate this topic, authors Tullo Vigevani and Gabriel Cepaluni built an analytical framework which uses three concepts to examine Brazilian Foreign Policy changes over the years: (1) autonomy through distance, (2) autonomy through participation, and (3) autonomy through diversification.

The authors demonstrate that the Brazilian military regime sought to distance itself from powerful countries in order to keep its domestic sovereignty, while the Brazilian democratic regimes-especially the Cardoso administration-tried to increase international connections despite practicing a foreign policy defending the nation's autonomy in relation to the great powers. With the Lula administration, the country still seeks greater international relationships but through a diversification strategy concerning its partners abroad, therefore counterbalancing the influence of the great powers, especially the United States.

By Gabriel Cepaluni; Tullo Vigevani and Phillippe C. Schmitter - Translated by Leandro Moura

Chapter 1 Foreword by Phillippe C. Schmitter
Chapter 2 Introduction
Chapter 3 Chapter 1. Defining Autonomy
Chapter 4 Chapter 2. Pressure for Change: José Sarney's Foreign Policy
Chapter 5 Chapter 3. Turbulent Times: The Foreign Policies of Collor de Mello and Itamar Franco
Chapter 6 Chapter 4. Brazilian Foreign Policy in the Cardoso Era: The Quest for Autonomy through Participation
Chapter 7 Chapter 5. Lula's Foreign Policy and the Quest for Autonomy through Diversification
Chapter 8 Chapter 6. The Dilemmas of Regional Integration for Brazil: Autonomy and Diversification of Partners
Chapter 9 Chapter 7. Brazil-Venezuelan Relations
Chapter 10 General Conclusion