Cultural Diplomacy: Brazil in Latin-America

For the last 50 to 60 years, along with a global tendency, there has been a movement from the governments of Latin America to form a regional union. The idea of an integrated continent has been topic for discussions since the first independency movements in the area, and it was in the 20th century that this project was first seen as a tangible possibility.  Agreements have been settled for the purpose of uniting Latin America, along with the formation of supranational organizations. Yet the success of these endeavors has only gone so far. True integration is showing hard to achieve as governments tend to see diplomatic relations in the region through the lens of politics and economy only. Brazil is obviously no exception to that, and cultural diplomacy is currently not viewed by its government as the important tool for soft-power it in fact is. 

So why would cultural diplomacy be important in this context and how could it contribute to the integration project of the continent? Although many scholars positively agree on the answers, the Latin national leaders and their diplomatic institutions do not seem to share the same perspective.

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