O MERCOSUL enquanto meio para alcançar autonomia: o pensamento de Samuel Pinheiro Guimarães

Abstract

The aim of article is to analyze the importance of Mercosur as an axis of autonomy for Brazilian foreign policy in the 21st century based on the contributions of Samuel Pinheiro Guimarães as part of autonomist thought. We argue that Mercosur has lost space in Brazil’s foreign trade in the last two decades. However, the bloc continues to be a mechanism for achieving autonomy for Brazil due to its potential as a counterweight in relation to extra-regional powers and the Brazilian export basket made up mostly of manufactured products, unlike what occurs in relations with China. and the European Union, for example. Based on the bibliographical review of his works and the theory of autonomy, Guimarães’ thought can be contextualized, with emphasis on his conception of regional integration. The collection of foreign trade data from Brazil and Mercosur completes the methodology in order to analyze them in light of the theoretical perspective presented in the article.