From the pursuit of peace to international insertion: the space of experience and the horizon of expectation of Angola and Brazil amid UNAVEM I, II, and III

Abstract

At the end of the 20th century, Angola was experiencing turbulent moments in its internal situation, undergoing three distinct processes of attempts to restore peace: the United Nations Angola Verification Missions (UNAVEM) I, II, and III. Within this context, especially during the third mission, Brazil’s participation is interpreted as a significant milestone, both in terms of humanitarian and military assistance, as well as in Brazil’s policies of alignment with friendly nations and its commitment to the defense of global peace and security. The main objective is to understand how Brazil participated in UNAVEM III, in light of a scenario of Brazil’s international insertion in the post–Cold War period, as well as to identify the subsequent opportunities this mission enabled within the United Nations system. As a theoretical framework, the studies of Koselleck are adopted through two defined historical categories, applied to analyze the Brazilian nation’s space of experience—its internal changes and participation in Angolan processes—and its horizon of expectations projected in terms of Brazil’s international insertion and peacebuilding efforts in Angola. Methodologically, through an inductive approach, documentary sources are explored alongside a bibliographic review, enabling an understanding of Brazil’s participation at both the diplomatic and military levels in the United Nations Angola Verification Missions. This is examined as a condition of Brazil’s insertion, highlighting, through Koselleck’s lens, the country’s potential to contribute to diverse approaches of peacebuilding and peace processes from the late 1990s onward.