Nuclear Cooperation Between Brazil and Argentina: Two Decades of ABACC

In the Latin American scenario, South America can be characterized as a regional security complex, in accordance to the concept proposed by Barry Buzan. In this subcontinent, whether in the political, territorial, economic or defense aspect, Argentina and Brazil are the main actors, with the latter being, beside a regional actor, an emerging power. Despite being traditional competitors for hegemony, these States decided about two decades ago to cooperate on an ambitious regional integration project, the Mercosur, as well as in the more sensitive area of security: the nuclear area. This cooperation resulted in the creation in 1991 of a common system of accounting and control of nuclear materials (SCCC) and an international organization Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC), responsible for verifying that the nuclear materials and facilities in both countries are actually used only for peaceful purposes. Based on the constructivist theory of international relations, this article aims at analyzing the behavioral change of these actors that, from a strong rivalry, which can be demonstrated through military projects of nuclear technology development with military purposes (never publicly acknowledged), began a cooperative behavior so successful that nowadays it is being touted as an example to other regions by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a UN agency. The starting hypothesis is that the change in the perception of their own identity (of a strong power to a vulnerable country, in view of the debt crisis and the threatening effects of globalization) and the perception of the neighboring country (from enemy to potential partner), resulted in the redefinition of the interests of both nations, with notable political consequences, because, from the quest for regional hegemony, they initiated a cooperative behavior intended on social development.