• the construction of a South American identity in the realm of defense, which
considers sub-regional and national aspects (the River Plata, the Andes, the Amazon,
the Atlantic, the Caribbean and the Pacific) and that strengthens Latin American
and the Caribbean unity; and
CHAPTER 2 — THE 21st CENTURY STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT
• the generation of consensus in order to strengthen regional cooperation in defense
matters.
The CDS should therefore promote joint analysis of political and strategic issues,
giving opportunity for a wider debate on global and hemispheric realities, from the South
American viewpoint.
It is important to note that the South American Defense Council is formed by other
forums at regional and sub-regional level, such as the Meeting of the Armed Forces Chiefs
of Staff and Heads of General Staffs; the Inter-American Defense Board; the Committee on
Hemispheric Security; the Meeting of Ministers of Defense of the Americas; the Conference
of American Armies; the Inter-American Naval Conference; and the System of Cooperation
Among the American Air Forces.
South Atlantic
As the country with the largest Atlantic coast in the world, Brazil has, for the aforementioned
reasons, special interest in South Atlantic peace and security. The Atlantic Ocean holds
some relevant strategic areas, such as the “Atlantic Throat”, the area between the Brazilian
Northeast Coast and Western Africa which is vital for world trade. The southern passages,
which link the Atlantic to the Pacific, constitute an alternative route to the Panama Canal,
mainly for large ships. The Cape of Good Hope’s route, connecting the South Atlantic to
the Indian Ocean, is an alternative to the Suez Canal and also offers better maritime access
to Antarctica. It is also worth noting the importance of the vast oil basin reserve in the
Brazilian continental platform and the oil import routes from countries around the equator
in the Atlantic.
The strategic maritime areas of greater priority and importance to Brazil are represented
by the Brazilian Jurisdictional Waters (AJB), which include the territorial waters (MT), the
contiguous zone (ZC), the economic exclusive zone (ZEE) and the continental platform
(PC), as well as the region delimited by the 16th parallel north, the west coast of Africa,
Antarctica, the East coast of South America and the East coasts of the Lesser Antilles.
Brazil also dedicates, together with its Western Africa neighbors, special attention to the
building of a cooperative environment in the South Atlantic, under the aegis of the Peace
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