Connections between Brazil and the Middle East have a long history, but the importance of these interactions has been heightened in recent years by the rise of Brazil as a champion of the global south, mass mobilizations in the Arab world and South America, and the cultural renaissance of Afro-descendant Muslims and Arab ethnic identities in the Americas. This groundbreaking collection traces the links between these two regions, describes the emergence of new South-South solidarities, and offers new methodologies for the study of transnationalism, global culture, and international relations.
Latin American Relations with the Middle East surveys the dealings of ten Latin American and Caribbean states – Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Peru, Mexico, Uruguay, and Venezuela – with the Middle East. This volume examins these states' external behavior at both an empirical and conceptual level. Empirically, authors seek to examine Latin American and Caribbean foreign policies towards the Middle East in four dimensions: diplomatic attention; trade and investment (including the energy issue); development cooperation; security matters/intelligence, and relationship with multilateralism (Iran, Palestine, and Syria). Case studies are selectively deployed to observe the influence of unfavorable circumstances that have increased since 2015, such as domestic turmoil, wars, economic crisis, ideological bias, and international constraints. Conceptually, the book enhances the theoretical framework for understanding Southern countries’ foreign policies, through fomenting dialogue with Latin American and Caribbean regional literature on foreign policy. Authors inquire about how decision-making processes occur, and uncover how influential actors help to test the main hypotheses of Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA). Forging essential new paths of inquiry, this book is a must read for researchers of International Relations, Foreign Policy, South-South Relations, Latin American Politics, and Middle Eastern Politics.
This volume surveys the interplay between state and non-state actors in Latin American foreign policies and attitudes towards the Middle East in the twenty-first century. How will domestic instability and international tensions affect the choices and behavior of Latin American countries towards the Arab world? The chapters here offer insight into this and similar questions, as well as a comparative value in analyzing countries beyond those specifically discussed. Common topics in policy making are considered–namely, Israel and Palestine, Iran, the Gulf countries, and the Arab "Spring”–as authors from distinct disciplines examine the crucial relation between ends and means on the one hand, and foreign policy actions and context on the other.
This book explores and analyzes how the Arab Spring has affected the political and economic relationships between the West, the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and the MENA (Middle Eastern and North African states). It locates continuity and change in these relations within the broader context of democratization, energy, security, arms relationships, and the shift towards a multi-polar system. Each chapter charts a history of ideological engagement, which has generally given way to more pragmatic energy, economic, and security interests, and defines and analyzes the fundamental and emerging factors that shape foreign policy. The volume pays special attention to the UN Security Council authorization of "all necessary measures" against Qaddafi's Libya and the subsequent deadlock in getting China and Russia to pass further Resolutions for intervention in Syria.
The Middle East has undergone enormous change since 9/11, from the invasion and occupation of Iraq to the events of the ′Arab Spring′. An Introduction to Middle East Politics engages with questions of democratisation and political reform in the region. It covers: Historical Legacies; The Ottoman Empire, WWI, colonialism and the Cold War; nationalism and Islamist politics Authoritarianism in Egypt, Algeria and Syria; political changes in Iran; the politics of oil in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States; Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab States Intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq The recent uprisings in the Arab World, human rights, social movements and social media Each chapter opens with helpful learning objectives and concludes with study questions. Annotated bibliographies aid further reading, whilst the companion website provides links to additional material. This book will prove a fascinating read for both undergraduate and postgraduate students of Middle East Politics and related courses across Politics and International Relations.
With its new political and cultural affiliations with the Middle East and the renewed visibility of the country's millions of practicing Muslims and those with Middle Eastern roots, Brazil may offer valuable lessons for countries transformed by the "Arab Spring." This groundbreaking collection reveals the historical links between these two world regions, describes the emergence of new South-South solidarities, and offers new methodologies for the study of transnationalism, global culture, and international relations.
Just like people around the world have done for generations, Arab people from the Middle East and North African (MENA) region have immigrated to various nations around the world. A number of ‘push’ factors account for why groups have left their homeland and ‘pulled’ to another nation to settle. The history and patterns of Arab migration out of the MENA illustrates the wide array of reasons for these patterns, primarily illustrating that mass emigration and settlement are highly linked to a number of factors, including social, political, economic, familial climates of each nation-state and its policies. If it is one takeaway that this edited volume brings to light, it is that the Arab MENA does not only include a diverse population within each nation-state it also illustrates the ways in which their settlement in new nations have contributed to their own identity development patterns, their communities, and that of their new nation-state. This book celebrates the achievements and acknowledges the challenges of the new communities that Arabs have built around the world. It shows examples of societies that have embraced the Arab diaspora as well as examples of sidelining these communities. These examples come from a number of subject areas, from music to international affairs. The examples are both contemporary and historical, authored by individuals with a diverse set of disciplinary lenses and professional training. This book is meant to fill a gap in the literature as it expands on the understanding of Arab communities to inform and inspire a more nuanced, inclusive approach to the study of the Arab diaspora. It does so by revealing untold stories that challenge stereotypes to push for more inclusive media representation of Arab identity and its development in various regions of the world.
When World War II erupted in 1939, Brazil seemed a world away. Beautiful, exotic, and remote, Brazil and its capital of Rio de Janeiro boasted world-famous beaches and five-star hotels, luring international travelers seeking adventure off the beaten path. "Rio: at the end of civilization, as we know it," claimed Orson Welles as he set out for the Brazilian capital in 1942 to film Allied propaganda. But even as expatriates like Welles drank away their worries in Brazil's stifling heat, the country's leadership was edging it toward an encounter with the modern world--one that would catapult the nation headlong into the twentieth century. In The Fortunes of War, acclaimed historian Neill Lochery reveals the secret history of Brazil's involvement in World War II, showing how the cunning politicians who ran the country extracted enormous wealth from both the Axis and the Allies, fundamentally transforming Brazil's economy and infrastructure during and after the war. Brazil's simplistic reputation as a faraway land of palm trees and samba dancers masked the country's immense strategic value to both the Axis and the Allies; its abundant natural resources made Brazil a crucial source of sustenance for Nazi Germany, while its geographical location made it a potential launching pad for a southerly invasion of the United States--a danger that American leaders remembered all too well from World War I, when Germany had urged Mexico to carry out just such an assault. Brazil's charismatic dictator, Get lio Dornelles Vargas, had himself long feared an attack from the country's rival to the south, Argentina, and understood that trade concessions from the Allies and Axis--not to mention weapons shipments from the Third Reich--could make his country a formidable force in South America. Vargas cozied up to Nazi Germany in the early years of the war, then deftly used his relationship with Germany to coax even better terms from the Allies, playing the two sides against each other in a dangerous game of bait-and-switch. The riches that Vargas's statecraft brought to Brazil transformed the country virtually overnight, allowing him to develop a sophisticated industrial and transportation infrastructure in what had previously been an underdeveloped backwater. But Brazil's cozy neutrality was not to last. As Brazil's ties with the United States deepened, the German position in Europe was eroding, leading Vargas to sever diplomatic relations with the Axis in early 1942. Within months Vargas declared war on the European Axis powers, and eventually sent 25,000 troops to the European theater. But Vargas's forces arrived too late--and were called home too early--to secure a significant role for Brazil in the postwar order. But within the country, at least, Vargas had made his mark: his leadership during the war ensured Rio's emergence as a major international city, and effectively remade Brazil as a modern nation. A tale of world war, diplomatic intrigue, and the rebirth of one of contemporary South America's most dynamic powers, The Fortunes of War brings to life a fascinating yet long-buried chapter of the most pivotal conflict of the twentieth century.
