The Middle East in the Lula Government's Foreign Policy (2003-2010)

When he took office in 2003 President Lula sought to strengthen diplomatic ties with the countries of the Middle East a region which in retrospect had always been treated as a low priority for Brazilian diplomacy despite the fact that it is an area of paramount importance for international stability. The Lula administration (2003-2010) strengthened ties with the Arab-Islamic world in an unprecedented way in Brazilian diplomatic history projecting the image of a nation in search of new political partners with the aim of changing the balance of power in the post-Cold War international scenario.