Reconfiguration of the Brazilian power bloc and foreign policy:

what does the internal bourgeoisie want from Lula?

Abstract

This article intends to analyze the recent movements and positionings of the internal bourgeoisie concerning the candidacy and support of the third presidential term of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva regarding foreign policy, especially in relation to the conclusion of the Mercosur-European Union Agreement and Brazil's accession to the OECD. In order to interpret these positionings, we use Bardin's content analysis technique and the theoretical tools provided by Nicos Poulantzas. Despite the differences found in entities such as ABIMAQ and APROSOJA, a large part of the internal bourgeoisie still defends participation in both the agreement and the organization. We understand that, despite the support of important sectors of the internal bourgeoisie for the candidacy and Lula’s government, its aims impose limits on the constitution of a political front, as the Neo-developmentalist Front, between the bourgeoisie and the popular classes, consequently limiting the deepening of a multidimensional regional integration. These limitations, however, can be overcome by the active behavior of the Brazilian state in foreign policy for the benefit of the popular classes.