From the Palácio dos Arcos to Committee Rooms

how the Senate sets the Agenda, informs, and oversees Brazil’s Foreign Policy

Abstract

How does the legislature influence foreign policy in presidential systems? This article
offers an analytical reframing of the role of Brazil’s Federal Senate in foreign policy, a
domain traditionally viewed as the prerogative of the Executive. Without dismissing the
Executive’s constitutional centrality, we argue that the legislature holds institutional and
symbolic capacities that enable it to shape foreign policy outcomes across different stages
of decision-making. To support this claim, we propose a theoretical model structured
around three interdependent analytical axes, agenda-setting power, informational role, and
horizontal oversight, drawing from neoinstitutionalism, informational theory, and delegation
theory. Rather than empirical testing, the article illustrates the model’s heuristic potential
through three emblematic cases. By doing so, it contributes to a deeper understanding of
how legislatures can exercise influence in international affairs and repositions the Brazilian
Senate as a strategic actor in the country’s global engagement.