Fourth BRICS Group Summit — New Delhi, India — March 2012 DEFENSE WHITE PAPER 53 CHAPTER 2 — THE 21st CENTURY STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT Endowed with adequate defense capacity, Brazil will be in a position to dissuade aggressions against its territory, population and its interests, and thereby contribute to the maintenance of a peaceful environment in the region. At the same time, and in way that is coherent with the country’s policy on cooperation, the increasing coordination between South American states in defense issues will help to avoid hostility against the assets of nations in the region. Through dissuasion and cooperation, Brazil will strengthen the tight link between its defense and foreign policies which, historically, have aimed for peace, integration and development.