Hemispheric Giants - by Britta H Crandall Hardcover

About the Book

This comprehensive book traces the full arc of U.S.-Brazilian bilateral relations over time. Despite the common critique of U.S. "neglect" of Brazil, Britta H. Crandall convincingly shows that the relationship has been marked by mutual, ongoing policy engagement. To be sure, d...

Book Synopsis

This comprehensive book traces the full arc of U.S.-Brazilian bilateral relations over time. Despite the common critique of U.S. "neglect" of Brazil, Britta H. Crandall convincingly shows that the relationship has been marked by mutual, ongoing policy engagement. To be sure, different relative power positions and foreign policy traditions have limited high-level bilateral engagement. However, Crandall argues convincingly that the diminishing power disparity between the United States and Brazil is leading to closer ties in the twenty-first century--a trend that will bring about growing cooperation as well as competition in the future.

Review Quotes

Hemispheric Giants directly and cogently attacks the mainstream whine that the United States has forever neglected Brazil, marshalling strong evidence that U.S. officials-both at the senior and middling levels of the bureaucracy-have in fact recognized Brazil's relative weight, but more often than not have had their aspirations dashed by Brazil's own reluctance to engage constructively with Washington. We are fortunate to have this sophisticated and balanced framework for assessing past and present U.S.-Brazilian relations.

Much of what is written on U.S.-Latin American relations relies on media reports or recycles other academic works. Crandall, in contrast, took the time to interview U.S. policymakers and career diplomats. Her discovery: the mainstream complaint that the United States has forever neglected Brazil is way off the mark. In fact, U.S. officials-at both the senior and the middle levels of the bureaucracy-have recognized Brazil's relative weight and have repeatedly sought to engage its Foreign Ministry. But hung up on fears of being overwhelmed by U.S. power, or driven by their own dreams of Brazilian hegemony over South America, Brazilian diplomats have often turned their backs on U.S. advances. In this well-researched and balanced treatment, Crandall foresees the potential for bilateral cooperation on emerging global issues, ranging from financial stability to energy supplies, on which U.S. and Brazilian interests may converge. But will Brazil sufficiently redefine its strategic posture to pick up these gains?

A stimulating and analytically powerful study of Brazilian-U.S. relations. Arguing against the idea that the United States 'neglects' Brazil, Britta Crandall refocuses the bilateral relationship over time and offers fresh and important guidelines for the future of the relationship as Brazil, in the twenty-first century, will play an increasingly important regional and global role.

This volume clearly advances the state of knowledge on inter-American affairs and contributes to decentering foreign policy analysis. [Hemispheric Giants] offers valuable portraits of frequently overlooked events, and delivers an impressive punch of context and comparison.

About the Author

Britta H. Crandall is adjunct professor of political science at the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies.