Online published on 15 May, 2012.
Traditionally a politically and socially conservative nation dominated by elites generally aligned with foreign interests, Brazil has gradually risen as a counterhegemonic power in recent years. This new reality became manifest when the Brazilian government rejected the US sponsored Initiative for the Americas after launching the Mercosul integration project in 1991 and hosting the first South American Presidential Summit in 2000. The election of Left Wing leaders in several countries of the region facilitated the launch of the South American Union in 2004. From a trade-centred agenda, a regional system is being built encompassing politics industrial cooperation, communications, security and diplomacy. Brazil's foreign policy has become global and was decisive in the formation of the G-20.
