Competir ou retroceder : a política externa norte-americana na administração Clinton

Abstract

After the 1992 presidential election in the United States, the newly elected president William Clinton had a very important task ahead of him: to define the role of the United States in the post-Cold War Era. Clinton defined three main priorities for his presidency: to reinvigorate the national economy, to widen the international markets for North-American products, and to strengthen democratic values throughout the globe. These goals are collectively known as the Clinton Doctrine . This dissertation will explore the dynamics of the actors, agencies and interest groups that shaped and put in practice the Clinton Doctrine, with a particular focus on the proposal of Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). It has been noted that the American diplomacy has two basic normative tendencies: unilateralism and internationalism; although there is an undeniable continuity in the mission of the United States to spread its vision on democracy and liberty. In this dissertation, the FTAA proposal is examined as a model for the post-Cold War era foreign policy, that enables the United States to keep its hegemonic position in the Americas region. Within the context of FTAA, Brazil is viewed as a regional power and a key negotiator between the United States and the rest of the Americas. Hence the dissertation puts a particular emphasis on the bilateral relations between United States and Brazil. The dissertation identifies the processes and mechanisms through which the bilateral relations between Brazil and United states within the scope of FTAA, helped define and implement the larger foreign policy vision of United States.