Conjuntura Austral https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/ConjunturaAustral <p style="text-align: justify;">Conjuntura Austral Journal of the Global South is a quarterly publication created in 2010, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, by the Graduate Program in International Strategic Studies (PPGEEI) of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), a public non-profit institution, focused on teaching and research. The journal publishes quarterly original scientific productions whose theme is located within the broad area of International Relations, with an emphasis on themes relevant to the countries of the Global South. With Africa, Asia, and Latin America as the geographical area of coverage, its main focus is on the major themes of international relations, especially the security, diplomacy, and development agendas. It issues original scientific productions in the form of Scenario Analyses pieces, Research Articles, and Book Reviews, written in Portuguese, English or Spanish. Its target audience includes researchers, specialists, graduate students, and undergraduate students in the field of International Relations.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Conjuntura Austral does not charge publication fees from authors and makes all the content of their publications available in digital format and free of charge.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The journal accepts the submission of manuscripts deposited (prior or simultaneously to the submission) on preprint servers.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Contributions published by the journal are submitted to scientific evaluation, using the double-blind peer review system.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;">DOI: <span style="color: #a4386b;">10.22456/2178-8839</span></p> pt-BR <p style="text-align: justify;">Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:</p><p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"><strong>a.</strong> Authors retain the copyright and grant the journal the right to first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under the <a class="waffle-rich-text-link" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>, which allows its use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, as well as its transformation and creations from it, as long as the original author and source are credited. Also, the material cannot be used for commercial purposes, and if it is transformed, or used as a basis for other creations, these must be distributed under the same license as the original.</p><p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"><strong>b.</strong> Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.</p><p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"><strong>c.</strong> Authors are allowed to deposit, in the repositories accepted by Conjuntura Austral, the preprint version of the manuscripts submitted to the journal prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See <a class="waffle-rich-text-link" href="http://opcit.eprints.org/oacitation-biblio.html">The Effect of Open Access</a>)</p><p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"><strong>d.</strong> Authors are permitted and encouraged to publish and distribute online (in institutional and /or thematic repositories, on their personal pages, etc.) the postprint version of the manuscripts (accepted and published), without an embargo period.</p><p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"><strong>e.</strong> Conjuntura Austral: Journal of the Global South, imbued with the spirit of ensuring the protection of regional academic and scientific production in Open Access, is a signatory to the <a class="waffle-rich-text-link" href="http://www.accesoabiertoalyc.org/declaracion-mexico-en/">Mexico Declaration on the use of the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license to guarantee the protection of academic and scientific production in open access</a>.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p> conjunturaaustral@ufrgs.br (Conjuntura Austral) conjunturaaustral@ufrgs.br (Conjuntura Austral) Mon, 31 Mar 2025 16:37:48 -0300 OJS 3.3.0.13 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 Olavo de Carvalho e os BRICS https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/ConjunturaAustral/article/view/143525 <pre class="western" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><a name="tw-target-text_Copia_1 Copia 1"></a><a name="tw-target-text_Copia_2"></a><a name="tw-target-text_Copia_1_Copia_1"></a><a name="tw-target-text_Copia_1_Copia_1 Copia 1"></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The issue is how Olavo de Carvalho perceives the rise of BRICS, analyzing his narrative about this new pole of geopolitical power<br> and a project to build a New World Order through the methodology of symptomatic reading, which seeks to discern the unrecognized bias<br> in the official text, through its ruptures, gaps and lapses, making it possible to grasp the intentions of the Olavist discourse, bringing<br> to light its true meaning. The sources analyzed are articles and videos by Carvalho produced in the first two decades of the 2000s,<br> in the context of the creation of the BRICS and the rise of PT governments to power. The elements of his narrative are:</span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-weight: normal;">the association<br> of BRICS with the construction of a communist world order; the role of PT governments in this process; and the conjunction between Chinese <br>Russian bloc and Western globalist elites. The conclusion: there is an anachronistic anti-communist conspiracism in the narrative<br> and discursive strategies centered on the omission of data from reality, the decontextualization of historical facts and the distortion of<br> the concepts of communism and capitalism, creating a negative imaginary of the US's geopolitical adversaries, sharing elements of<br> American neoconservative thought.</span></span></span></span></pre> Natalia Reis Copyright (c) 2025 Natalia Reis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/ConjunturaAustral/article/view/143525 Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0300 Trauma healing interventions and peacebuilding https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/ConjunturaAustral/article/view/143640 <p>This article analyzed trauma healing interventions in post-conflict peacebuilding. After a conflict or a genocide, an individual who experienced a violent event could become traumatized. When trauma affects simultaneously several people, collective trauma is originated. This unhealed trauma may result in psychological disorders. To illustrate this scenario, Rwanda was chosen as the case study; in 1994, a genocide happened in the country, and 30 years later, this violent incident still negatively affects its citizens. The aim of this research was to investigate trauma healing and reconciliation programs in Rwanda, to demonstrate their importance for the society and the peacebuilding. It is relevant because these processes ensure the non-recurrence of violence and the consolidation of sustainable peace, as seen in the trauma literature. Through an analytical framework and a qualitative research method two societal healing projects were analyzed: one by the Rwandan NGO N<em>ever Again Rwanda</em>, and another by the American NGO <em>Karuna Center for Peacebuilding</em>. As a final result, these interventions helped to mitigate the impact of trauma on the citizens and strengthened reconciliation through collective initiatives. Demonstrating the importance and effectiveness of trauma healing interventions.</p> Ludmilla Silva Corcino Copyright (c) 2025 Ludmilla Silva Corcino https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/ConjunturaAustral/article/view/143640 Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0300 The use of cluster bombs in the war in Ukraine https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/ConjunturaAustral/article/view/143442 <p>The article focuses on the U.S. government's decision to supply cluster bombs to Ukraine amidst the conflict with Russia. The measure sparked controversy due to the risk these weapons pose to civilians and the stigmatization of this type of armament following the creation of the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions. This article analyzes the ethical and moral issues concerning the nature and use of cluster bombs, explores the U.S. stance on this weaponry, and discusses the internal legitimization process of the decision in the U.S. The research draws on relevant academic studies on morality and the technological design of weapons, various positions of analysts and U.S. congress members, the analysis of U.S. domestic legal frameworks, and the literature on the legitimacy and legitimization of political actions. We conclude that the Biden administration’s decision was facilitated by the convergence of four main factors: it was morally disregarded and justified as militarily necessary, legally authorized, and politically legitimized.</p> Getúlio Almeida Neto Copyright (c) 2025 Getúlio Almeida Neto https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/ConjunturaAustral/article/view/143442 Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0300 Lula III https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/ConjunturaAustral/article/view/142043 <p>This article analyzes how the Lula III administration has sought to realign Brazilian foreign policy with the defense of human rights and the principles of the 1988 Constitution, following the setbacks caused by the Bolsonaro government. Using the Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA) framework, the study examines the trajectory of Brazilian diplomacy since democratization, highlighting the role of human rights as a soft power element. The text discusses the rupture that occurred during the Bolsonaro administration, characterized by the prioritization of nationalist and conservative interests, and contrasts it with the Lula III government's efforts to restore multilateralism and promote progressive agendas. Despite internal challenges, such as political polarization and the rise of the far-right, as well as global geopolitical tensions, the research explores the strategies adopted to reposition Brazil on the international stage. Through a review of the literature, document analysis, and journalistic sources, the study seeks to understand the advancements and challenges of current Brazilian foreign policy in the field of human rights. The aim is to identify theoretical and empirical elements through these sources that, when analyzed together, highlight the measures effectively implemented and the contextual challenges faced by this new Lula administration.</p> Lucas Damasceno Tomazella Copyright (c) 2025 Lucas Damasceno Tomazella https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/ConjunturaAustral/article/view/142043 Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0300 China in Guyana https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/ConjunturaAustral/article/view/143658 <p>This article aims to elucidate China's geoeconomic interests in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), focusing on China's activities in Guyana. Despite its strong trade union tradition and anti-imperialist aspirations, Guyana has remained dependent and susceptible to external interests even after its late independence in 1966. The discovery of oil reserves in the Essequibo region by a Sino-American consortium in 2015 exacerbated the dispute with Venezuela and highlighted China's interests in the region. Analyses concerning Guyana are scarce, and studies on China's presence in LAC tend to focus on the substitution of the United States by the Asian power. This article seeks to address this gap and present a perspective contrary to the idea of hegemonic substitution. The analysis is conducted through bibliographic review and data collection from sources such as AidData, the American Enterprise Institute, the IMF, SIPRI, and Trade Map. It argues that the financial symbiosis between Western and Chinese companies in Guyana refutes the zero-sum geoeconomic competition narrative between the United States and China, demonstrating a positive-sum geoeconomic game in the South American country.</p> Wanderley dos Reis Nascimento Júnior, Patrícia de Oliveira Matos, Raisa Barbosa Dias Copyright (c) 2025 Wanderley dos Reis Nascimento Júnior, Patrícia de Oliveira Matos, Raisa Barbosa Dias https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/ConjunturaAustral/article/view/143658 Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0300 Book Review https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/ConjunturaAustral/article/view/145134 <p>In ‘Operação Impeachment: Dilma Rousseff e o Brasil da Lava Jato’, Fernando Limongi analyses the political-institutional and social crises that led to the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff (2011-2016) and the emergence of the coalition of power that comprised Michel Temer's government (2016-2018). The author traces the processes from Rousseff's candidacy in 2010 to the corruption allegations against Temer, who took over the presidency after the impeachment in May 2016. The use of secondary sources plays the role of describing, linking and analysing the events central to the impeachment narrative and the situation following Rousseff's impeachment. The facts are narrated in five main chapters, dividing them between the central players in the impeachment narrative: President Dilma Rousseff, the opposition coordinated by the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) and the social movements, the president of the Chamber of Deputies Eduardo Cunha, President Michel Temer and the judges who led Operation Car Wash from Brasilia to Curitiba.</p> Yuri Copyright (c) 2025 Yuri Coutinho https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/ConjunturaAustral/article/view/145134 Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0300 O Segundo Círculo https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/ConjunturaAustral/article/view/146070 <p>O Segundo Círculo: Centro e Periferia em Tempos de Guerra (Unicamp Publisher, 2024), organized by André Singer, Bernardo Ricupero, Cícero Araújo, and Fernando Rugitsky, addresses the impasses of capitalism and democracy from a perspective that intertwines global crises and peripheral dynamics. The first part, “Times of War,” examines the escalation of global instability since 2008, exploring the rise of the far right, the disputes between the United States and China, and the contradictions of the Biden Plan. The second part, “Latin American Perspectives,” discusses industrialization in South America, extractivism, and the Pink Tide, analyzing how the commodities supercycle enabled progressive governments while simultaneously fostering a contra-dictory economic model. The final part, “Critical Thought,” revisits and updates Latin American theoretical elaborations on dependency, neoliberal he-gemony, and class struggle. Despite the fluidity of international reconfigurations, the book constructs an analytical framework capable of shedding light on the multifactorial nature of the contemporary crisis, articulating transformations in the international system, mutations of capitalism, and the grow-ing threats to democracy.</p> Carlos Eduardo Rezende Landim Copyright (c) 2025 Carlos Eduardo Rezende Landim https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/ConjunturaAustral/article/view/146070 Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0300