The American State with the Highest Number of Brazilian Residents

Finally, I wanna talk about how Hirst does his intellectual stuff.

 He's all about history, politics, and looking at things from different angles. You can see that in the title of his book. In the 1980s, her analytical focus on Brazilian foreign policy was, like, totally on point, especially when it came to the relations with the United States and the diplomatic vibes with Argentina. By like totally dedicating herself to analyzing PICE (the Program for Integration and Economic Cooperation), which was like established in 1986, for example, Hirst was already like seeking a super multidimensional and strategic approach in dealing with inter-regional stuff.

BTW, her work has always been lit with a mad visionary vibe. OMG, like this author was totally over the whole economistic and corporative views of MERCOSUR. They were like, "Nah, we need to transcend that." And guess what? They soon realized that the perception of common historic trajectories had, like, totally sparked the development of mutual and "pragmatic loyalties" between the two countries. And that gave MERCOSUR a political vibe, especially during the FTAA negotiations and hemispheric security stuff. Lit, right? Another lit aspect of this thesis was like, understanding, since the start, of the Brazil-Argentina integration not only as a dope bilateral cooperation initiative, but a sick strategy for South American autonomy and development as well. When talking about regional security, Hirst is like, "Yo, the inter-American system is so outdated rn." This has been a whole journey starting in the 70s with Latin American governments (Mexico, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, etc.) doing their own thing, ya know? Plus, the OAS reforms in '67 and '73 and the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance reform in '75 (which was all about being cool with different ideas and keeping the economy safe) and then the whole wt Malvinas/Falklands War in '82 was like a major setback. In the 90s and 2000s, Professor Hirst was like dropping mad arguments that are now like super relevant to the whole debate on hemispheric relations and South America, you know? Especially when it comes to understanding the different security vibes in the Andes and the Southern Cone. 

It's like, so important, fam. OMG, like the diff realities in these two subregions are totes explained cuz of how the State was built and the democratic vibes in each area, plus how the local elites and the US are all connected n stuff.

In dis sense, wen talkin' 'bout US-Latin America relations afta 9/11, Hirst debunked da argument dat unconventional threats – like international terrorism – would replace da dangers posed by inter-State war and, therefore, dat which would justify strong defense policies aligned to a macro securitized strategy led by Washington. She then suggested the vibe of having three agendas, the "old school" (State beef and security drama), the "fresh" (peace missions, sketchy immigration, environment, drugs, and wild organized crime), and the "super new" (worldwide war on terror).

The legit crisis the US is dealing with has like totally messed up its leadership game, ya know? And Brazil, along with other in-between countries, has been like doing its own thing on the global stage. Hirst is all about that, you feel me? This has like totally made her expand the scope of her analysis beyond just hemispheric stuff, with like major focus on Brazil's South-South cooperation strategies. She's like analyzing both the IBSA Dialogue Forum (India, Brazil, and South Africa) and the BRICS initiative, which are all about like building a global social agenda for public goods in developing countries. OMG, like Juan Tokatilán and Paulo Vizentini totally nailed it with this book! It's, like, the ultimate synthesis, update, and expansion of a research agenda that's been on fire! Her lit AF analysis of the various periods of the US-Brazil relations, explained in the thesis of the five As (alliance, alignment, autonomy, adjustment and affirmation), is straight fire and shows mad clarity and perspective. She's like, totally aware of every cycle, dealing with all the changes and the constant imbalances between the two countries (and the repetitive delusions of the Brazilian elite thinking they can have a special bond with Washington). 

Yo, Hirst's analysis of the bilateral relations is totally woke and takes into account the current international scene.  enviro bein' influenced by a constant spread of power in world politics, ya know?

So like, when we're talking about the global war on terror during the Bush administration and the 2008 economic crisis, Hirst really adds to the research agenda for foreign policy analysts. It's pretty lit, tbh. Like, in her opinion, the vibes between Brazil and the United States are gonna be all about how the internal political battles play out, you know? It's all about which society projects are more inclusive and which ones are, like, not so much. That's gonna shape things in the future for sure. Also, like, from the Brazilian viewpoint, they totally depend on how strategic and consistent they are and if the Brazilian vision for like, integrating South America in a bunch of different ways is successful. This is like, in contrast to other ideas about what the future of the region should be, like Latin-American Bolivarianism or the more strict and liberal perspective of a free-trade area proposed by Chile, Colombia, and Mexico.

The South-South axis of Brazilian foreign policy axis gonna be hella relevant for the future of the Brazil-United States relations, ya know? And don't even get me started on the role of China and Europe, it's gonna be lit af. But like, the author says it's all about how the US vibes with the global South, ya know? Especially after the mess caused by the Bush Administration. During his first term, Obama totally vibed with Brazil's big flex, its mad presence in the region and worldwide, like, at the G-20 meeting on the global money meltdown and the V Summit of the Americas, you know? But like, who knows if the struggles this administration is dealing with will make Brazil be like a chill and helpful leader in the region again, or if a more fair and diverse global order where Brazil has a voice will be seen as a good thing by Washington.