New standards of action in foreign policy: can Brazil still be considered a regional power?

During the administrations of Cardoso (1995-2002) and Lula da Silva (2003-2010), Brazil considerably increased its activism on international issues, seeking to consolidate a leadership position among South American countries. Especially in recent decades, the diplomatic tradition has reiterated the need to obtain the region’s support as an instrument to boost international projection. In this sense, based on qualitative research analysis of Brazilian foreign policy, this article aims to answer the following question: Can Brazil be considered as a regional power? To this end, the article examines how the governments of Rousseff (2011-2016), Temer (2016-2018) and Bolsonaro (2019-2022) have changed the patterns of foreign policy action, leaving little room for more effective action by the country as a regional leader.