Abstract

This chapter analyzes Brazil’s rise and fall as an emerging global power and regional leader over the past twenty years. The chapter begins by debating foreign policy’s historical role in portraying Brazil as a country destined to have a place among great powers. It then evaluates how the literature on Brazilian foreign policy assesses the country’s rise and fall in global and regional dimensions in recent decades. Next, the chapter traces Brazil’s rise initiated during Fernando Henrique Cardoso’s administration and the construction of leadership in South America. Then, it analyzes the decline in leadership since the end of Lula da Silva’s first government and Dilma’s administration due to economic and political crises experienced in the domestic and international scenarios. Finally, the chapter discusses the 2020s under the government of Jair Bolsonaro, when Brazil abandons any regional leadership ambitions or great power status. Brazil’s rise and fall elucidate a dilemma typical to emerging powers seeking more significant external influence: building leadership with few resources and domestic instability.