ABSTRACT
Brazil is a country of some 186 million people, and is slighty smaller than the United States. In 2005, it had the world's tenth biggest economy. The transition from military rule to civilian rule in Brazil was less abrupt than the case of Argentina. The transition process was agreed and the military were close to their immediate successor, Jose Sarney, who took office in 1985. Foreign policy is, in large part, designed to facilitate Brazil's development and therefore any change in economic thinking feeds into the construction of foreign policy. The nature of Brazilian national identity also shapes the construction of foreign policy. The political culture and the nature of the identity are partly dependent on the nature of the political regime in place. The key relationship for Brazil in the region is that with Argentina. Historically, the rivalry between the two countries has conditioned relations with the United States.
