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Consequently, it can practice a more autonomous foreign policy without fearing American
reprisals.
A second source of explanation would argue that national ideology plays an important
role in both regional powers and that nationalism is particularly strong among Mexicans, leading
to isolationism and inactivity in international events. Conversely, Brazil’s population is diverse,
international and cosmopolitan; hence, international activism is fairly accepted and is compatible
with the national identity of the Portuguese-speaking nation.
Finally, a normative argument considers that Mexico’s relative isolationism is due to its
constitutional structure, in which norms and principles of non-intervention in domestic affairs
restraints the country from pursuing an active agenda in the UN.
In this paper I argue that none of the arguments summarized above fully explains the
divergent behaviors of Brazil and Mexico in the UN. Instead, I argue that domestic politics offer
a better source of explanation than hegemonic, ideological and normative perspectives. For that
purpose I suggest three mechanisms that can account for variation in behavior. First, I suggest
that bureaucratic politics plays an important role in understanding both Brazil’s and Mexico’s
policies in the UN. Brazilian foreign policy is highly centralized by Itamaraty, while Mexico’s
foreign policy is highly diffused and fragmented. In the later case, isolationism can be the result
of bureaucratic competition. Second, party politics also offers insights in understanding
variations in foreign policies. Since both Brazil and Mexico transited to democracy, foreign
policies have been widened as new actors have been included in decision-making processes.
However, domestic politics among the two giants vary substantially. Brazil has a fragmented
party system, although its politicians share foreign policy goals. Mexico, by contrast, has a three-
party system that is highly politicized, leading different parties to support divergent foreign
policies, ranging from isolationism to activism. Finally, civil-military relations are consequential
for explaining variation. Again, the democratization process has accelerated the civilian reform
of the armed forces in Brazil, allowing civilians to incorporate the military into foreign policy
Convention