O anti-globalismo na política externa brasileira: Ernesto Araújo e o populismo de extrema-direita (2019-2021)

Abstract

Between 2019 and 2021, Brazilian foreign policy experienced one of its most tumultuous periods under the leadership of Ernesto Araújo, a relatively unknown diplomat to the general public at the time. Under his influence, an anti-globalism approach was incorporated into the decision-making process, unfolding a series of controversies within the realm of the country's foreign policy, including blind alignment with the United States, ongoing disagreements with significant international players such as China, the European Union, and Venezuela, distancing from multilateral international organizations, and withdrawing from highly relevant international regimes. The main hypothesis of this dissertation is that these events occurred due to the strong influence of far-right populism in the decision-making process of Brazil’s foreign policy. To confirm this, the theoretical and methodological assumptions formulated by Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe's Discourse Theory were employed, where concepts such as empty signifiers, nodal points, and antagonism proved crucial for understanding the phenomenon. These concepts were mobilized in a proposed analysis of the speeches delivered by the former chancellor, highlighting his influences from both the rising global far-right and a typically populist stance, in line with Ernesto Laclau's propositions. Additionally, the works of Charles and Margaret Hermann were utilized to identify the decision-makers in Brazilian foreign policy during the indicated period and ascertain the tangible changes derived from this far-right populist influence promoted by Ernesto Araújo.