Brazil in the World - Ascent, Decline and Renewal

Student: Fernanda Liberatore

Professor: James Cameron

Class: Brazil in the World - Ascent, Decline and Renewal

Reading Three - “Commercial Liberties and Nuclear Anxieties: The US-German Feud Over Brazil, 1975-7,” by William Glenn Gray - Confrontation with Carter: the Brazilian nuclear program and human rights

        The text discusses about nuclear issues regarding Brazil and how the U.S policies in the Carter administration affected it. In that context, while the U.S was trying to implement a strong human rights policy, Brazil was going on the opposite direction establishing anti-democratic acts and controversial positions regarding nuclear issues, which caused the growing tension between Brazil and U.S.

        In 1968, Brazil refused to sign the Non-Proliferations Treaty (NPT) – which was created with the goal to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, by establishing peaceful uses of the energy – the justification was that the country wanted to stay with the right to conduct peaceful nuclear explosions. Another democratic – and human rights –  kickback made by the Brazilian government was the institution of the Act 5 on 1968, which determined that the president was on the legal right to suspend national and state legislatures, issue “decree laws” unilaterally, and fire any public official. Censorship of the media, police permission for public meetings, and use of torture were other aspects that the Act 5 permitted.

        President Jimmy Carter had a central political strategy regarding human rights. In light of Carter’s election, U.S changed its nonproliferation strategy for Brazil: it shifted from a multilateralism position to a more encountered one. The American government has pressured West Germany to annul the deal that country had previously made with Brazil – which determined the construction of eight nuclear reactors by 1990 – among other determinations. As Brazil refused to be deflected from its own nuclear policy, the country began a secret program to develop nuclear weapons technology. Although, the conclusion to all this nonproliferation-human rights matter was positive for Brazil and U.S, the constant confrontation has established more conflicting aspects to their relationship, reinforcing the already existing tension between both countries