Brazil, a bridge between North and South?

Julimar da Silva Bichara and Susanne Gratius

Brazil has emerged in recent decades as a key actor in global politics and economics, positioning itself in the middle ground between the developed North and the Global South. Since joining the BRICS group twenty years ago, the country has expanded its protagonism in international organisations such as the United Nations and the G-20, while reorienting its commercial and diplomatic relations towards China and other emerging partners. However, recent developments, such as the Mercosur-European Union agreement signed in December 2024, are evidence of a partial return to ties with the West and a strategy of balancing autonomy and engagement.

This paper by Julimar Da Silva Bichara and Susanne Gratius analyses Brazil’s international position in a context of geopolitical tensions and economic transitions. It explores the country’s external priorities, the challenges of its regional and international insertion model, and the contradictions between its growing economic dependence on China and its traditional relations with the US and Europe. Throughout the study, the authors debate the viability of Brazil’s leadership in the Global South, its role as a bridge between regions, and its aspirations for greater influence in the multilateral system.

Brazil faces a challenging panorama, characterised by a moderately growing economy, structural problems of industrialisation and an internal political division that limits its external projection. Nevertheless, Lula da Silva’s government has resumed a foreign policy based on the diversification of partners, strengthening alliances with both emerging powers and traditional actors in the international system. The signing of the agreement with the EU, the reactivation of Celac and Unasur, and its role in COP-30 in Belém are evidence of a multilateral diplomacy strategy that seeks to consolidate Brazil as a mediator between global blocs.

This study offers a comprehensive analysis of Brazil’s strengths and limitations in its attempt to position itself as a bridge between North and South. Through a detailed assessment of its diplomatic and economic strategies, it seeks to understand Brazil’s future in a changing global scenario and its capacity to play a leading role in the emerging world order.