Argentina's foreign policy towards Brazil during the first year of Lula da Silva’s government (2023)

Abstract

This paper aims to study the Argentina's foreign policy towards Brazil during the first year of the Lula da Silva’s administration (2023). In particular, this analysis focuses on the objectives pursued and the actions implemented in political-diplomatic and economic-commercial terms, while also exploring the relationship within the MERCOSUR. In this framework, it is argued that the main objective of the foreign policy implemented was to strengthen the bilateral relationship that had been deteriorated during Jair Bolsonaro's administration. In this sense, although trade promotion was one of the guiding axes of the relationship, since da Silva took office in Brazil, an intensification of political-diplomatic relations and an incipient political-ideological convergence between the regional partners has been observed, which also has had its implications in the MERCOSUR. In this way, the paper aims to make an empirical and analytical contribution to the study of Argentine foreign policy in contemporary periods.