Abstract:
In the field of International Relations, the traditional perception of development has always been centered on the notion of assistance. The developed North possesses the resources to provide the underdeveloped South with economic, technical and financial support. Without denying that this approach has often been effective in improving developing counties’ conditions –there is a wide number of examples throughout history that can prove it- it is also true that there are many flaws. First of all, this approach has made it impossible to close the gap between North and South. As a matter of fact, assistance is one of the tools that the North has historically used, and still uses, to achieve its objectives and to keep control over strategic territories. Secondly, in order to obtain assistance, the South often has to comply with rules and conditions imposed by the North and which do not take into consideration the specific needs and characteristics of developing countries. Finally, the North can be willing to provide assistance, but it is essentially interested in maintaining the status quo.
The aim of this thesis is to prove that South-South relations can be the right solution for a more equal development, based on the exchange of resources, knowledge and technology among developing countries. As a matter of fact, starting from the second half of the 19th century, South-South cooperation has started to become a complementary approach to development that needs to be taken into consideration. In order to do so, we will use Latin America, and in particular Brazil, as our case study.
The thesis is divided into four main chapters. The first chapter introduces all those metaphors that are used by scholars and authors to refer to developed and developing countries, such as Centre-Periphery (or Core-Periphery), North-South, First World-Third World, Metropolis-Satellite. The second chapter is an overview of the North-South asymmetrical relation between the United States and Latin America. The third chapter is the most theoretical one, since it consists of an analysis of dependency theories, which started in Latin America in the 50s. Finally, the fourth chapter is devoted to South-South relations and South-South cooperation, and it constitutes the central discussion point of this work. Starting from a study of regional integration in Latin America, we will give examples of Latin American South-South relations, both in the region and in the world.
