SUPERPOWER COUNTRY? BRAZIL

What forms of power does Brazil have?
1. Economic
  1. Currently world's 8th largest economy
  2. GDP of $2trillion in 2010
  3. Current growth rate of 9% - predicted to become fifth largest economy by 2050
  4. Largest company (Petrobas oil and gas producer) came 18th in Forbes Global 2000 list of world's largest companies in 2010
    1. 4 other TNCs in top 100
  5. manufacturing and service industries - aircraft, electricals, cars, textiles, steel, coffee....
2. Military
  1. largest in South America
    1. 250000 soldiers, 700 war planes, and only South American army with an aircraft carrier - formidable regional power
  2. Doesn't have the capacity to project military power outside of its region
3. Cultural
  1. derived from its portugese colonial heritage
  2. music styles such as samba and bossa nova globally significant
  3. football is an iconic national export
  4. hosted 1992 UN earth summit which led to Kyoto Agreement
  5. due to host 2016 olympics and 2014 world cup
Geographical
1. fifth largest country in the world
2. eight major drainage basins providing huge hydro electric potential - at least 70 dams planned for Amazon region alone
3. huge deep sea oil reserves discovered a few years ago
4. traditional primary industries eg agriculture, forestry, logging, fishing are an important part of brazil's growth - 5.1% of GDP in 2007
  1. rise in the price of soybeans since 2007 has magnified balance of trade. brazil is the second largest exporter behind USA
    1. in high demand due to domestic, agricultural, and industrial uses. meat replacement, dairy replacement, biofuel, cattle seed, resins
implications for other nations?
1. good partner to have for other countries but not an essential one
2. important country in terms of economics and diplomacy but not for security
regional or national superpower?
1. regional
  1. serious social problems - large poor population
  2. undeveloped infrastructure
  3. rely too much on Foreign Direct Investment
2. national
  1. more developed political system than China and India with multi party democracy and freedom of expression
  2. infrastructure will improve with sporting events over the next six years. nearly $3bn invested into airports etc

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SUPERPOWER COUNTRY? BRAZIL

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	Created by beth.nightingale about 11 years ago