These new realities are not yet totally clear. And when the rules are not precisely defined, the tendency in any game is that the strongest side will have the upper hand. This is particularly relevant for a country like Brazil whose complex realities not always can be expressed in absolute terms and for whom there is a lot at stake in the global international chessboards - political, financial, commercial, and otherwise. This is the reason why we are so keen on creating conditions for international institution building and for the strengthening of multilateralism. It is obvious that globalization has not affected the international system in a balanced fashion.
Some countries are more global than others.
One has the impression that, having won the cold war, Western countries have come to believe in their own speeches and are convinced that through the so-called globalization they will be able to universally propagate their values in a homogeneous fashion. This is the background against which the current emphasis on trade as the main element of diplomacy can be understood. Most diplomatic efforts are concentrated on trade and on trade related questions. Free trade is touted as a panacea for the solution of the world s problems. These are some of the questions that pass through our minds as we have to cope with an unprecedented amount of simultaneous levels of trade negotiations.