Infrastructure as a diplomatic tool: the role of Itaipu in Brazilian foreign policy discourse and practice (1960-1979)
Abstract This article examines Brazil’s diplomatic strategy in creating the Itaipu hydroelectric dam, emphasizing its cooperative frameworks with Paraguay and Argentina to foster regional integration. It analyzes how Brazil leveraged the Itaipu negotiations (1960-1979) to balance national interests...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Instituto Brasileiro de Relações Internacionais
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Revista Brasileira de Política Internacional |
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| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-73292025000100206&lng=en&tlng=en |
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| Summary: | Abstract This article examines Brazil’s diplomatic strategy in creating the Itaipu hydroelectric dam, emphasizing its cooperative frameworks with Paraguay and Argentina to foster regional integration. It analyzes how Brazil leveraged the Itaipu negotiations (1960-1979) to balance national interests and regional cooperation. By using process tracing, the study examines the negotiations surrounding the signing of the Cataratas Agreement (1966), the Itaipu Treaty (1973), and the Tripartite Itaipu-Corpus Agreement (1979). Three causal mechanisms help explain the outcomes achieved in each historical context: national interest, need for cooperation, and pressure from public opinion. The research highlights Brazil’s diplomatic maneuvers in the agreements, showing how these efforts reinforced Brazil’s role as a cooperative regional hegemon while advancing broader regional goals. |
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| ISSN: | 1983-3121 |