Abstract

From the International History perspective, the paper discusses Brazilian-Iraqi technical-military cooperation and security relations, between 1978 and 1991. Four case studies focus on the rise, fall and legacy of the partnership, and the decision-making process that resulted in massive transfers of material for military use - including major conventional weapons - made in Brazil to Iraq, making the Arab country one of the main recipients of Brazilian weapons in the world. The manuscript is the result of research based on primary sources consulted at the National Archives. It is concluded that the security relations between the actors were based on elective affinities, geopolitical convergences, commercial interests, and technical-military cooperation.

Keywords:
Brazil; Iraq; Latin America’s Cold War; arms and technology sales; defense industry; strategic partnership; military collaboration; authoritarianism