THE 21st CENTURY STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT “If Brazil opens up to the world, the world turns to Brazil. This dynamic carries hope, but also brings new and formidable responsibilities, which the Armed Forces will know how to fulfill” The contemporary international system is marked by the exhaustion of the order which characterized the immediate period after the Cold War. This system has distinguished itself through a rapid process of reorganization of political relations between states. The advent of a multipolar order, marked by the coexistence of traditional and emerging powers, brings new opportunities and new challenges to nations in the area of defense. Although dialogue, cooperation, emphasis on multilateralism and respect for international law remain important and desirable qualities for the international environment, the rearrangement of the system on a multipolar basis is not, by itself, sufficient to guarantee that, in the current situation of transition, peaceful relations between states will prevail. In this context, Brazil sees, in its defense policy and in its calling for dialogue, essential components for its affirmative and cooperative insertion into the international environment. In face of uncertain future scenarios, the cost of inaction by Brazil in the construction of a new international order can be much larger than the immediate burden, i.e. investment in training, preparation and development of resources that are necessary for the exercise of sovereignty. The consolidation of representative multilateral governance structures of the new world order is of interest to the country and requires a strict coordination between foreign and defense policies. The second must provide the first with safeguards, support and logistics, which are essential for the fulfillment of Brazil’s role in the international arena. The defense policy determines the state’s capacity to offer protection to the Brazilian people and to ensure the absence of foreign interference in its territory and its jurisdictional waters, including the airspace above, the seabed and the subsoil. National sovereignty, economic competitiveness and full development demand a defense capacity that is compatible with the country’s potential and aspiration. In spite of fast growing changes in recent decades, the international order remains predominantly determined by relationships among states. For this reason, Brazil’s defense against external potential threats remains the Armed Forces’ essential mission. DEFENSE WHITE PAPER 31 CHAPTER 2 — THE 21st CENTURY STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT President Dilma Rousseff Brasilia, April 5, 2011