Abstract:
The Baron of Rio Branco, patron of the Brazilian diplomacy, remains unanimously acclaimed in Brazil’s foreign office, the Itamaraty, or even in academic books. This new biography of the Baron, written by Luís Cláudio Villafañe G. Santos, a Brazilian diplomat and historian, not only reexplores the personality of Rio Branco, pointing out contradictions, but mainly reinterprets his diplomatic agency when in office. It is in the interest of this review to discuss three topics broadly analyzed by Villafañe: the interdependence between domestic and foreign policies, the establishment of an allegedly unwritten alliance with the United States and the peaceful resolution of frontier disputes.
Keywords:
Baron of Rio Branco; Itamaraty; Foreign policy of the Brazilian Republic