Brazil and Reforming Security Council Structure: Opportunities and Challenges

The structure of international system is affected by its key actors. Among the actors of international system, the UN Security Council is considered to have a significant role. Considering its role and position, the Security Council has been able to advance crucial global issues and leave significant effects behind. World powers forming the permanent members of the Council are pursing not only the issues of global interest, but also their national goals and interests. The Security Council’s authority regarding global intervention has encouraged other countries to seek its permanent membership. Brazil, among them, relying on its own regional and global role and power and benefiting from a variety of factors in power and wealth is in quest of joining the current permanent members of the Council. The unique characteristics of the country in the Latin America region and the significant parameters it possesses in the global arena have led Brazil to claim for a Security Council permanent seat. Surpassing many powerful countries in political, cultural and economical scopes, Brazil is now trying to create a new interpretation of global equations. Rejecting the US unilateral power, Brazil has supported multilateralism. It has challenged the mechanisms of a unipolar world and is looking to expand its sphere of influence through permanent membership of the Security Council. This study investigates the reasons and the procedures Brazil’s efforts are following to join the permanent members of the Security Council. Considering Brazil’s plan for permanent membership, the country faces opportunities and challenges analyzed in this article.