BRASIL E ARGENTINA: ENCONTROS E DESENCONTROS NO DESENVOLVIMENTO DO MERCOSUL

Abstract

In this research, we sought to understand how the relationship between Brazil and Argentina is historically shaped, and how this relationship influences regional integration in South America in the 20th and 21st centuries. The hypothesis is that the historical meetings and disagreements between these two international actors, since the colonial period, have a direct influence on the way in which regional integration is established within MERCOSUR and, later, UNASUR. The observations made during the production of this dissertation make it possible to affirm that there is a certain rivalry between the two countries, which has been nourished since the colonial period in the context of relations between Portugal and Spain. Nowadays, such rivalry centers around the pursuit of regional leadership by the two countries. The strategies and actions adopted by both countries reflect this rivalry and, therefore, we sought to trace a historical picture of the relations between these countries and those belonging to the International System, such as the United States, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay , Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela. For this purpose, a bibliographic review was carried out, as well as investigations of the United Nations Organizations. The research was guided by the constructivist perception (ONUF and WENDT) that reality is socially constructed, and for that reason, it is important to understand the historical construction of the sense of rivalry between Brazil and Argentina, and what sense this rivalry has acquired within the scope of Regional integration.