The risky cooperation: the origins of the Missão Venturini (1983) to Suriname under the Prospect Theory

Abstract

This paper analyse the Brazilian motivation to act as a mediator in one of the most difficult moments in Suriname’s history, in 1982: the crisis that succeeded the killing of opponents of Desiré Bouterse’s government, who advocated for a new path for the Surinamese foreign policy, including a convergence of positions with Cuba. The Brazilian intervention, known as “Missão Venturini”, sent in 1983 to Panamaribo, intended to avoid such Surinamese movement towards Cuba, and the potential American intervention that would follow such movement, as the Ronald Reagan government was intensely anti-communist. Our paper is based in declassified documents, disponible at CPDOC/FGV, and use the Prospect Theory in order to achieve our goal. We point to the Brazilian Foreign Policy Executive’s risk-averse orientation. When facing the prospect of a “socialist” Suriname and the losses that an American intervention in South America would cause to Brazil, a cooperation offer seeking to contain Bouterse’s actions and to avoid a Surinamese policy shift to the left seemed a less risky alternative.