Brazil and the framework convention on tobacco control: Global health diplomacy as soft power

Soft power is a diplomatic approach to obtain an objective through persuasion and collaboration,rather than through economic influence or political domination. brazil's growing influence in international relations,as one of the so-called bric (brazil,russia,india,and china) countries,has been due to its effective use of soft power in key foreign policy negotiations. brazil has shown soft-power leadership in negotiations concerning climate change,trade liberalisation,energy policy,nuclear non-proliferation,and recent health-related diplomatic activities. policy consistency was shown in brazil's constitutional guarantee of access to anti-retroviral drugs for people living with hiv/aids that required steadfast negotiations to ensure access within world trade organization guidelines. during negotiations for a framework convention on tobacco control (fctc),brazil demonstrated commitment to global health diplomacy by serving as an exemplar for domestic tobacco control,engaging in coalition politics,and providing leadership throughout the negotiation process. brazil's influential role in the negotiation of the fctc can be seen as an example of how global health has become a focus of soft power. © 2010 lee et al.