2011 Joint Area Centers Symposium
Session 6: Iran and the Western Hemisphere

Iran and Brazil
Paulo Sotero (Brazil Institute, Woodrow Wilson International Center)

Chair: Chair: Andrew Orta (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

President Dilma Rousseff’s repositioning of Brazil vis-à-vis Iran is an expression of both personal conviction and political calculation. A former political prisoner who was tortured under a military dictartoship, Rousseff sees respect for human rights as a fundamental issue. On the other hand, the failure of Brazil’s and Turkey’s efforts to mediate a nuclear deal between Teheran and the international community was interpreted by Rousseff closest advisers as the result of an ill-advised and badly executed diplomatic adventure not in the Brazil’s diplomatic tradition of caution in international affairs. It would be a mistake, however, to view the shift in Brazil’s Iranian policy as a reversal of the country’s strategy on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. The country’s policy coordination with Turkey and efforts to mediate the dispute between Teheran and the international community regarding Iran’s uranium enrichment program is part of both the shifting relation in global power and the crisis in the regime of the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. Brazil’s opposition to sanctions against Iran reflects the view of it’s governing elites about international norms. Regardless of their political inclinations, members of these elites see sanctions as a possible first step towards intervention by major powers or international organizations.