Abstract
At the UN General Assembly in 2011, Brazil put forward the need for a “responsibility while protecting” (RwP). The initiative made reference to the well-known and long-debated principle of “responsibility to protect” (R2P), and was seen as a direct response to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-led intervention in Libya in March of that year. The message was: in situations where the international community has a responsibility to protect, it should at a minimum also have a responsibility for its actions while protecting. Yet, despite being seen as bold in the way it appeared as engaging directly with the established idea of R2P, it was actually more in contrast with traditional Brazilian principles of non-intervention and restricted use of force. Specifying the responsibilities while protecting presupposes an acceptance of the application of the responsibility to protect in certain cases. The mere initiative created worldwide expectations that Brazil would champion the new concept and develop it further, which did not match Brazil’s own ambitions. Understanding this mismatch of expectations, and where the proposition came from, requires an analysis of the broader context of Brazil’s stance on intervention and use of force.
This work was supported by the Norwegian Research Council’s Latinamerika programme, under Grant 237001.
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Notes
- 1.
- 2.
A note on data collection: interviews have been conducted with high-ranking Brazilian diplomats in Brasilia, New York and Port-au-Prince (the last two also with help of a research assistant, Eric Cezne), in addition to regular contact with diplomats at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, especially from the Department of International Organizations (DOI)—particularly the Division for International Peace and Security (DPAZ) and the UN Division (DNU)—as well as direct and regular contact with high-level officers of the Brazilian Army (mainly Majors, Lieutenant Colonels, Colonels and Generals). Information was also retrieved from participation in seminars and workshops with Brazilian policymakers, in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and Pretoria, where these topics have been discussed.
- 3.
See Article 4 of the Brazilian Constitution (1988), as well as key documents such as the Defense National Policy and National Strategy of Defense.
- 4.
Brazil was a non-permanent member of the UNSC in 1998–1999, when it started changing its position. More research is needed to assess how this happened, but, at that time, there were intense debates at the UNSC about humanitarian interventions, especially in 1999, which includes the first peacekeeping mission mandated to protect civilians (UNAMSIL/Sierra Leone).
- 5.
Statement by Brazil at UNSC meeting 3977 (12 Feb 1999).
- 6.
See statements by Brazil at the UNSC meeting 4990 (14 Jun 2004); at the UNSC meeting 5209 (21 Jun 2005); at the UNSC meeting 6066 (14 Jan 2009); and at the UNSC meeting 6216 (11 Nov 2009).
- 7.
UNSC Resolution 1542 (2004) created MINUSTAH. See www.un.org/press/en/2004/sc8083.doc.htm
- 8.
Outcome Document (A/Res/60/1) is available here: www.un.org/womenwatch/ods/A-RES-60-1-E.pdf. See paragraphs 138 and 139.
- 9.
Statement by Brazil at UNSC meeting 6151 (26 Jun 2009).
- 10.
UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). “Protection of civilians”. www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/issues/civilian.shtml
- 11.
For the full list, see Hamann (2016), page 19.
- 12.
The International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) was authorized by the UNSC in September 1999, under Chap. VII, to restore peace and security in Timor, and to support the UN presence in the country (https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N99/264/81/PDF/N9926481.pdf?OpenElement). It was not a peacekeeping mission, but an international military operation led by Australia.
- 13.
The UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) and UN mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) were created by the UNSC to support Timor Leste’s transition to full independence.
www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/past/unmiset/background.html. INTERFET received, from Brazil, 50 troops, while UNTAET had 50 and later 70 Brazilian military, including not only troops but also military observers and staff officers. Finally, UNMISET incorporated the Brazilian military still in the field and, in 2004, the Brazilian contingent increased to a full company (125). See Hamann (2016).
- 14.
Fontoura (2005).
- 15.
The first UNSC Resolution on MINUSTAH (1542/2004) had these goals explicitly mentioned in paragraph 7. See: www.minustah.org/pdfs/res/1542_en.pdf
- 16.
Statement by Ambassador Maria Luisa Viotti to Informal Interactive Dialogue on “Responsibility to Protect”, New York, 23 July 2010, apud Almeida (2013).
- 17.
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly 60/1—“2005 World Summit Outcome” (A/RES/60/1), 24 Oct 2005, www.un.org/womenwatch/ods/A-RES-60-1-E.pdf
- 18.
See UNSC Res 1608, adopted on 22 June 2005.
- 19.
For the evolution and consolidation of peacekeeping training in Brazil, see Vendramin (n.d.).
- 20.
Information provided by Centro Conjunto de Operações de Paz do Brasil (CCOPAB), in 2015.
- 21.
See UN (2008), pp. 97 and 98.
- 22.
- 23.
“Letter dated 9 November 2011 from the permanent representative of Brazil to the United Nations addressed to the secretary general” (A/66/551 & S/2011/701). 11 November 2011. (www.un.int/brazil/speech/ConceptPaper-%20RwP.pdf). Also see Statement by Amb. Maria Luiza Viotti, at UNSC meeting 6650, 09 November 2011 (www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/PV.6650)
- 24.
Ibid.
- 25.
Interviews carried out by the two authors, in Brasilia and Rio, in 2015.
- 26.
Seminar at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), April 2013.
- 27.
Interview with a Brazilian diplomat, Brasília, 27 October 2015.
- 28.
Interview with a Brazilian diplomat, Brasília, 22 October 2015.
- 29.
Interview led by the research assistant, New York, 7 January 2016.
- 30.
Ibid.
- 31.
Between 2004 and 2007, MINUSTAH operated in a very complex and unstable context, similar to those currently faced by missions in sub-Saharan Africa (Vendramin 2015).
- 32.
Interviews with military officers from CCOPAB who prefer not to be identified.
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Hamann, E.P., Gabrielsen Jumbert, M. (2020). Brazil’s Evolving “Balancing Act” on the Use of Force in Multilateral Operations: From Robust Peacekeeping to “Responsibility While Protecting”. In: Esteves, P., Gabrielsen Jumbert, M., de Carvalho, B. (eds) Status and the Rise of Brazil. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21660-3_9
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