Brazilian Peacekeeping: Challenges and Potentials in Turbulent Landscapes at Home and Internationally

Over the last decade, Brazil has taken a more substantial role in international peace and security, and has become increasingly involved in UN peace operations. Particularly through its participation in Haiti, leading the military component of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), Brazil has underscored its growing engagement in shaping, challenging and adding to conventional practices of conflict management and peace processes. Now, the prospective withdrawal of MINUSTAH, coupled with a current domestic scenario in Brazil of political and economic instability, raises a number of questions about the future of Brazil’s participation and role in peacekeeping. To contribute to critical and well-informed conversations on the challenges and potentials of Brazil’s engagement in peacekeeping amid turbulent landscapes at home and internationally, this policy brief revisits the country’s evolving role and strategic use of peacekeeping, and reflects upon its implementation in light of the normative developments brought by the current international process to review UN peace operations. The brief concludes that a continued peacekeeping presence, despite current difficulties, remains desirable for Brazil.