CACD Diplomata key terms

The period of relative global stability and British naval dominance from roughly 1815 to 1914, during which Britain enforced free trade and a balance of power, shaping the international system Brazil joined after independence.

The informal great-power arrangement after 1815 in which European monarchies consulted to preserve order and suppress revolutions, setting precedents for multilateral congresses and intervention that affected Latin American sovereignty.

The 1814-1815 gathering of European powers that redrew borders after Napoleon and established principles of dynastic legitimacy and balance of power, a founding moment for modern multilateral diplomacy.

The principle that states hold exclusive authority over their territory and are formally equal, without superior arbiter, derived from the 1648 peace settlements and central to international law and non-intervention doctrine.

The legal rule that all states, regardless of size or power, enjoy equal standing in international law and in international organizations; codified in the UN Charter and a cornerstone of Brazilian diplomacy.

The prohibition on states interfering in the internal or external affairs of other states, reflected in UN Charter Article 2(4) and related principles; a recurring theme in Brazilian positions on hemispheric and global conflicts.

The foundational treaty-law maxim that agreements are binding on the parties and must be performed in good faith; codified in the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.

Peremptory norms of international law from which no derogation is permitted, such as prohibitions on genocide, slavery, and aggression; treaties conflicting with them are void.

The 1969 treaty codifying rules on treaty formation, interpretation, validity, amendment, and termination; often called the treaty on treaties and widely applied by states and tribunals.

The protection from local jurisdiction and inviolability granted to accredited diplomats, codified in the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, enabling representatives to perform functions without host-state coercion.

A formal declaration by a receiving state that an accredited diplomat is unacceptable, typically requiring the envoy's recall; a lawful but politically significant instrument of diplomatic pressure.

Brazil's planned capital inaugurated in 1960 under President Juscelino Kubitschek, designed by Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer; a symbol of interior development and modernist nation-building, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Getúlio Vargas's authoritarian regime from 1937 to 1945, marked by centralized power, censorship, labor corporatism, and import-substituting industrialization; ended with Vargas's deposition by the military.

The period of Getúlio Vargas's political dominance, 1930-1945 and 1951-1954, encompassing the 1930 Revolution, labor legislation, industrial policy, and his suicide in office amid political crisis.

The authoritarian regime from 1964 to 1985, initiated by a coup against João Goulart, characterized by institutional acts, censorship, torture, and an economic 'miracle' followed by crisis, ending with transition to civilian rule.

Decrees issued by Brazil's post-1964 military governments that suspended constitutional guarantees, closed Congress, and curtailed judicial review; AI-5 in 1968 inaugurated the regime's harshest phase.

The mass campaign of 1983-1984 demanding direct presidential elections in Brazil; though the amendment failed, it mobilized civil society and hastened the end of military rule and the 1988 Constitution.

José Maria da Silva Paranhos Júnior, Brazil's foreign minister 1902-1912, who consolidated borders through arbitration and negotiation and shaped a peaceful, juridical diplomatic tradition.

The common name for Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, derived from its historic Rio de Janeiro palace; denotes the professional diplomatic service and its institutional culture.

The informal doctrine associated with Barão do Rio Branco emphasizing peaceful dispute settlement, arbitration, and stable borders; a reference point for Brazil's preference for negotiated solutions.

The ability to influence others through attraction, culture, values, and legitimate policies rather than coercion or payment; Brazil invokes it through diplomacy, music, sports, and development cooperation.

The process by which neighboring states pool markets, policies, or institutions, as in Mercosur and the European Union; Brazil treats it as a platform for projecting influence and stabilizing its periphery.

The Southern Common Market created by the 1991 Treaty of Asunción among Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, later joined by Venezuela; a customs union with common external tariff and political dimensions.

A development strategy replacing imported manufactures with domestic production through tariffs, quotas, and state credit; pursued by Brazil from the 1930s to the 1980s before trade liberalization.

Brazil's 1994 stabilization program introducing a new currency and ending hyperinflation through fiscal adjustment, exchange-rate anchoring, and indexation reform; a landmark of macroeconomic policy.

The government budget balance excluding interest payments on public debt; Brazil uses it as a key fiscal target because it signals whether current policy adds to or reduces the debt burden.

A monetary policy framework in which the central bank publicly commits to a numerical inflation goal and uses interest rates to pursue it; adopted by Brazil in 1999 alongside a floating exchange rate.

The principle that gains from trade arise when countries specialize in goods they can produce at lower opportunity cost, even without absolute superiority; a foundation of trade theory.

A school of thought holding that states seek power and security in an anarchic system, prioritizing self-help and balance of power over law and institutions; contrasts with liberal and constructivist approaches.

A perspective arguing that international institutions, rules, and regimes can reduce conflict and facilitate cooperation by lowering transaction costs and building trust among states.

The Brazilian literary and artistic movement launched by the 1922 Modern Art Week in São Paulo, embracing experimentation, national identity, and vernacular language; key figures include Mário and Oswald de Andrade.

A major nineteenth-century Brazilian novelist and short-story writer, author of 'Dom Casmurro' and 'Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas', known for ironic narration and psychological realism.

A late-nineteenth-century Brazilian literary mode emphasizing social observation, psychological detail, and critique of elite hypocrisy, exemplified by Machado de Assis and Aluísio Azevedo.

A 1950s Brazilian avant-garde poetry movement, led by the Noigandres group, that treated the visual arrangement of words as meaning and influenced later experimental and visual poetry.

In Portuguese, the fusion of the preposition 'a' with the feminine article 'a' or demonstrative 'aquela', marked by a grave accent; a frequent grammar point in formal writing and examinations.

The grammatical relation between a verb and the prepositions or objects it requires, such as 'assistir a' or 'obedecer a'; mastery is essential for formal Portuguese prose.

The argumentative essay genre required in Brazilian examinations, typically with thesis, development, and conclusion; in the CACD written exam, it demands clear structure, evidence, and formal register.

The ability to extract main ideas, details, inferences, and vocabulary from authentic texts in a foreign language; tested to ensure diplomats can work from primary sources and negotiate in multilingual settings.

The contested idea that physical environment shapes or determines human societies and development; Brazilian geography engages it through debates on Amazonia, climate, and regional inequality.

The vast tropical forest and river basin spanning several South American countries, mostly in Brazil; central to debates on sovereignty, deforestation, climate policy, and international cooperation.

The persistent socioeconomic gap between Brazil's wealthier South and Southeast and poorer North and Northeast, shaped by historical settlement, infrastructure, and industrial policy.