Entre ideologia e pragmatismo: a política externa brasileira para o Oriente Médio nos governos Temer e Bolsonaro

Abstract

The research analyzes Brazilian Foreign Policy (BFP) toward the Middle East during the administrations of Michel Temer (2016–2018) and Jair Bolsonaro (2019–2022), with the aim of understanding patterns of continuity and rupture in diplomatic and trade guidelines, in relation to the tradition of BFP consolidated during the administrations of Lula (2003–2010) and Dilma Rousseff (2011–2016). This tradition, marked by pragmatism, autonomy, international mediation, and global integration, has historically guided Brazil's relations with the Middle East, including South-South cooperation and the expansion of economic ties. The investigation assesses the extent to which Temer and Bolsonaro maintained or broke with this tradition, considering symbolic, ideological, and material dimensions. The Middle East plays a strategic role for Brazil, both in terms of commodity trade and participation in multilateral forums. The starting point is the hypothesis that, despite rhetorical and ideological differences — especially in the Bolsonaro administration, marked by symbolic alignment with Israel — a pragmatic line has been maintained in the commercial and institutional fields in relation to tradition. The study is based on the theoretical framework of Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA), which understands BFP as the result of disputes between diverse interests and internal and external constraints. The methodology adopted is a qualitative case study, which combines documentary analysis of speeches, bilateral agreements, foreign trade data, and interviews. The study contributes to the debate on the impact of the ideologization of foreign policy, highlighting the role of domestic groups, such as the evangelical caucus and agribusiness, in mediating between discourse and practice, and reinforcing that the BPF is a field of dispute