What Can South-South Development Cooperation Do for International Peace? Brazil’s Role in Haiti and Guinea-Bissau

Abstract

Until it began waning due to economic crisis and political turmoil on the domestic front, in Brazil’s rapidly expanding South-South development, cooperation often has been promoted by government officials as contributing to stability and prosperity in partner states. It is unclear, however, how this development cooperation intersects with the country’s involvement inunpeace operations. This article examines the role of Brazilian South-South technical cooperation across two contexts. In Haiti, Brazil has led the military component of theminustah, whereas in Guinea-Bissau, it has helped to spearhead peacebuilding efforts by the international community. In both cases, Brazil has tried to substantiate its critique of theun’s securitization by providing technical cooperation across a variety of sectors. The analysis shows that this cooperation is too fragmented, subject to interruptions, and disconnected fromun-led efforts to make a considerable contribution to a sustainable peace. However, better internal coordination and stronger ties touninitiatives could boost the contribution of Brazil’s Brazilian South-South development cooperation to a lasting peace.

Brazil as a Peacebuilding Norm Entrepreneur in Haiti and Guinea-Bissau

“…That is, Brazilian action in Haiti did not contested the objectives and even the means of imposing military force, but sought to reconcile them with actions that are more linked to peacebuilding than to peacekeeping itself, such as development aid through the construction of water wells, roads, bridges and dams by the Engineering Corps of the Brazilian Army, as well as establishing partnerships with Brazilian NGOs, which helped to reconcile community leaders with the Haitian National Police. In addition, the use of sports, music, and cultural activities as a mechanism of reconciliation has been observed, evading the traditional aspect of peacekeeping operations (Abdenur;Call, 2017, p.14).…”

“…One of the major points of criticism is the style and militarized approach of interventions promoted by the West, particularly by the US and NATO, and which, in the Brazilian view, represents an extremely difficult way of dealing with situations of risk. This approach is perceived as exactly the same as those adopted in situations of risk during the Cold War (Abdenur;Souza e Neto, 2014, p. 4).…”

“…United Nations and carried out through other mechanisms and has also criticized the classification of the US and some European countries as defenders and promoters of democracy and human rights since those same countries are criticized for violating both principles in various current and historical moments (Abdenur;Souza Neto, 2013, p. 106-107).…”

“…However, it must be noted that some critics argue that Brazil's solidarity strictly targets other governments, regardless of the type of regime (including nondemocratic ones), and of equating national ownership with government decisionmaking, as opposed to a more participatory process, which would include nongovernmental actors and opposition voices to the established government (Abdenur;Call, 2017, p. 10).…”

“…Through these different arrangements, the Brazilian government worked to complement the military role of MINUSTAH with initiatives that would promote long-term social well-being and stability (Abdenur;Call, 2017, p. 14).…”