O Tratado de Cooperação Amazônica (TCA): pragmatismo responsável em integração regional no Governo Ernesto Geisel (1974-1979)

Abstract

This research dissertation analyzes how responsible pragmatism, the central guideline of Brazilian foreign policy during the Ernesto Geisel administration (1974– 1979), influenced the negotiation and formulation of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty (ACT), an instrument that later gave rise to the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO). It demonstrates that the ACT cannot be understood as a circumstantial product, but rather as the result of an articulated diplomatic strategy. During this period, the Amazon gained greater centrality amid the intensification of multilateralism, international pressures for its “internationalization,” and the need to reinforce Brazilian sovereignty over the region. This context allows ACTO to be understood as a multilateral regime structured in accordance with International Regime Theory, whose theoretical foundation is based on procedures aimed at coordination among member countries. Thus, the study identifies that the formulation of the ACT was embedded in a dual movement: regional cooperation, oriented toward physical, scientific, and economic integration among Amazonian countries; and strategic defense, grounded in the preservation of national autonomy in the face of external agendas. From this perspective, it is argued that the ACT constitutes a concrete manifestation of the pillars of responsible pragmatism—especially the pursuit of decision-making autonomy, diversification of partnerships, and strengthening of state presence in the Amazon—within the sphere of international relations. It is therefore concluded that ACTO represents not merely a diplomatic mechanism, but the institutionalization of a strategic project of Amazonian integration, anchored in the interests of Brazilian foreign policy and regional developmentalism.