Argentina–Brazil relations

Argentina and Brazil are neighbouring countries of South America, and two of the most important economies in Latin America.

History

Independence and consolidation

Argentina and Brazil share the Río de la Plata basinndash an area where Portuguese and Spanish conquistadors colluded in their ambition to conquer new land for their respective crowns. After achieving independence from the Iberian crowns in the early nineteenth century, the Argentine Republic and the Brazilian Empire inherited a series of unresolved territorial disputes from their colonial powers, involving Paraguay and Uruguay, the other two nations of the Río de la Plata basin.

It was during this time that the Argentina-Brazil War, the only armed conflict between both countries, started. From 1825 to 1828 the forces of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata faced those of the Brazilian Empire, until the signing of the Treaty of Montevideo that gave independence to Uruguay from both countries.

Although Brazil did not settle disputes with its neighbours over its precise national boundaries until the early twentieth century, it had consolidated most of its vast territory under a single authority by the middle of the nineteenth century, achieved as the result of the work of the empire's political elite.In contrast,the Argentine Republic's nineteenth century experience was marked by infighting between contending factions—those favoring a federalist republic—struggling against the strong centralist tendencies of the city of Buenos Aires (Unitarians). Argentina's unification and territorial consolidation under a single authority was completed by the 1880s.

Consolidated nations

Despite this inheritance of unresolved territorial disputes and numerous periods of muted hostility, the Argentine–Brazilian relationship was not defined by open hostility for most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. To be sure, there was competition on many levels, and their respective defense policies reflected mutual suspicion, but their bilateral relationship was not adversarial. After the mid-1850s, neither country resorted to coercion or the use of force to resolve territorial disputes, and during the only general war that took place in the Plata regionndash the Triple Alliance War (1864–1870)ndash Argentina and Brazil were allied against Paraguay.

Twentieth Century

Argentina and Brazil perceived each other as rivals, not enemies. Indeed, since their consolidation as viable nation-states in the late nineteenth century and until the mid-1980s, both countries kept a mutual distance from each other, despite sharing the abundant natural resources of the Río de la Plata basin. For most of the twentieth century, their physical integration was hampered by security concerns, particularly following World War II. With the growing influence of the armed forces in their respective body politicsndash in particular the rise of Germanic influences among members of the civilian and military elitesndash priority was given to defending their national territories against a potentially aggressive neighbor.

Consequently, communication and physical integration between the two neighbors was limited. The benefits of developing closer economic, political, and cultural relations were not considered until very recently.

Since 1945, the most acrimonious bilateral dispute concerned the control of water resources along the Alto Paraná basin. In 1966, Brazil and Paraguay concluded the "Iguaçu Act", announcing their intention to build a Brazilian–Paraguayan hydroelectric plant, Itaipú, on the Paraná River, on the Argentina–Brazil–Paraguay border. The Treaty of Itaipú was signed in Brasília in 1973. However, Buenos Aires feared that Brazil’s project would hinder its own plans for the water resources development in the area. For almost a decade, the dispute soured bilateral relations and hampered efforts to forge closer economic and political links.

The dispute over water resources was finally resolved by intense diplomatic negotiations. In October 1979, the Itaipú–Corpus Multilateral Treaty on Technical Cooperation was concluded, ending the dispute to the satisfaction of all three neighbors and opening the way for a dramatic improvement in relations. After the conclusion of the Itaipu–Corpus Treaty, Brazilian president Joao Figueiredo visited Argentina, the first Brazilian leader to do so in more than four decades.

Figueiredo, the last president of the military rulers who had governed Brazil for 21 years, visited Buenos Aires in May 1980 and signed, among other agreements, a series of accords to collaborate on nuclear issues. Reflecting their shared opposition to the nuclear non-proliferation regime, Argentina and Brazil agreed to co-operate and exchange technical information, materials, and products on all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle.

Following the resolution of the water resources dispute and the Brazilian president’s successful visit, an unexpected and traumatic event took place in Argentina that further improved bilateral relations: the 1982 Falklands War. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Argentina was fully absorbed by its territorial dispute with Chile over the BeagleChannel. This conflict, which almost led to a war in 1978, was prevented by the Vatican's offer to mediate.

Falklands War

Three years after called off the Operation Soberania in order to invade the Picton, Nueva and Lennox islands, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands ( _es. Islas Malvinas) on April 1982, starting a brief but important war with the United Kingdom. The actions taken by Brazil during this turbulent period were seen by Buenos Aires as generally supportive. Brazil remained neutral during Argentina's conflicts with Chile and the United Kingdom. With regard to the Falklands War ( _es. Guerra de las Malvinas/Guerra del Atlántico Sur), Brazil criticized the use of force by Argentina but declared its neutrality during the war and supported a negotiated solution. Meanwhile, it backed Argentina's claims for sovereignty over the disputed South Atlantic islands. Furthermore, Brazil's efforts to mediate the conflict between Buenos Aires and London were seen by Argentina as positive. As a result, Argentina recognized Brazil as a trustworthy partner.

After hostilities ended in June 1982, Buenos Aires chose Brazil to represent its interests in London until full diplomatic relations with United Kingdom were restored in 1990. Thus, despite rivalry and historical suspicions, Brazil’s actions and policies during the most traumatic period of Argentina’s recent historyndash objectionable military rule, near-conflict with Chile and the Falklands Warndash were fundamental to building trust between the two countries.

Argentina's defeat in the war against Britain hastened the end of its domestic military rule. General elections were held in October 1983, and President Raul Alfonsín was elected with a mandate to ensure that Argentina’s recent past was not repeated. Among his main achievements, President Alfonsín started to resolve the enduring territorial conflict with Chile during his six-year term, and significantly improved relations with Brazil.

Fortunately, Argentina’s intention to forge a closer relationship with Brazil was matched by Brazil's intention to do the same. While still under military rule, Brazil initiated a policy of improving relations with its South American neighbors, and Argentina was considered the key country in this effort. The initiative was accelerated after 1985 when a politician, José Sarney, became the first civilian president. Soon after taking power, President Sarney met with President Alfonsin, and thereafter a series of diplomatic initiatives and presidential visits took place. The aim of these exchanges was to deepen the process of cultural, political, and economic rapprochement between Argentina and Brazil.

Recent Years (1985-)

After democratization, a strong integration and partnership began between the two countries. In 1985 they signed the basis for the MERCOSUL, a Regional Trade Agreement.

In the field of science, the two regional giants had been rivals since the 1950s when both governments launched parallel nuclear and space programs, however, several agreements were signed since then such as the creation of the "Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials" (ABACC) to verify both countries' pledges to use nuclear energy only for peaceful purposes. National spaces agencies CONAE and the AEB had also began working together since the 1990s.

Also on the military side there has been greater rapprochement. In accordance with the friendship policy, both armies dissolved or moved major units previously located at their common border (e.g. Argentine's 7th Jungle and 3rd Motorized Infantry Brigades). Brazilian soldiers are embedded in the Argentine peacekeeping contingent at UNFICYP in Cyprus and they are working together at MINUSTAH in Haiti and, as an another example of collaboration, Argentine Navy aircraft routinely operates from the Brazilian Navy carrier NAe São Paulo.

ee also

*Foreign relations of Argentina
*Foreign relations of Brazil
*Mercosul
*Union of South American Nations
*Argentina and Brazil football rivalry

External links

* [http://www.mre.gov.br/ingles/index.htm Ministry of Foreign Relations of Brazil]
* [http://www.mrecic.gov.ar/ Ministry of Foreign Relations, International Trade and Cult of Argentina]