The book Brazil and the World - Studies on the Thought of Gelson Fonseca Junior, organized by the diplomats Benoni Belli, CEBRI's Senior Fellow and Brazil's Consul General in Chicago, and Eduardo Uziel, Minister-Counselor at the Brazilian Embassy in India, was launched in a restricted meeting for invited guests at the headquarters of the Brazilian Center of International Relations (CEBRI), in Gávea, on January 10. The launch was held in partnership with the Alexandre de Gusmão Foundation (FUNAG).
Based on the contents of the book, Benoni Belli discussed Brazilian foreign relations with other authors who contributed to the publication, including Alex Giacomelli, Director of the Trade and Investment Promotion Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Julio Glinternick Bitelli, Brazil's Ambassador to Morocco, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, Chef de Cabinet to the Secretary-General of the United Nations (2017-2021), and Maria Regina Soares de Lima, Professor at the Institute of Social and Political Studies at UERJ (IESP) and coordinator of the South American Political Observatory (OPSA-UERJ). The event gathered an audience of around 50 guests at CEBRI's headquarters.
The honoree of the evening, Gelson Fonseca Junior, is one of CEBRI's founders and Director of the Center for History and Diplomatic Documentation (CHDD) at FUNAG. He is the most cited diplomat in Brazilian academic studies in the areas of international relations and foreign policy.
During the event, Ambassador Bitelli highlighted Gelson Fonseca's ability to "de-dramatize" the international relations agenda, as well as his respect for the principle of reality, characteristics that the honoree attributes to Brazilian foreign policy. During his speech, Belli recognized the honoree as a refined analyst with a calling for truth, who never compromised his critical vision with preferences and inclinations, while being a modern and creative leader, concerned with stimulating younger diplomats to actively contribute to policy formulation. Finally, he emphasized Gelson Fonseca's unwavering commitment to the idea of democracy as a vehicle not only for the promotion of rights and development, but also as part of Brazil's international identity.
The event was followed by a cocktail party for those present, during which Gelson Fonseca held an autograph session.
The book is available for reading in its entirety HERE.
Check out the interview with Ambassador Gelson Fonseca Junior about Brazilian diplomacy, in which he talks about the launch of the book in his honor HERE.
