This article analyzes the positions on foreign policy adopted by the Partido dos Trabalhadores and by the presidential candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, from the Party's founding in the early 1980s, through the 1989 elections and then the election victory in 2002. The basic themes of the party's program and its gradual evolution toward a position that is closer to traditional forms of professional diplomacy, characterized by a juridical, gradualist and pacifist multilateralism, are emphasized. Furthermore, the main issues on the Brazilian diplomatic agenda - especially those of an economic and commercial nature -, negotiations and discussions on the possibilities and limitations for innovation in this area are examined. In conclusion, the current government's preservation of the major streams of continuity in Brazilian foreign policy is put forth.
Brazilian diplomacy; international economic agenda; Mercosul; Partido dos Trabalhadores (Worker's Party); Lula administration government