Both academic journals and actual experience suggest that the regional and international participation of sub-national governments is gaining force and importance, and may be raised as a significant issue for various countries. Internationally sub-national governmental participation has been growing for some time. The Brazilian example does not differ from this general pattern. The debate has not yet consolidated, and this question will be of major future importance. The attributes granted to federal states and municipalities in the Brazilian Constitution of 1988 open perspectives which can further the debate on the possibilities and effectiveness of decentralized international activities. The specialized literature of the 1990s enlarged the paradiplomatic concept and indicated the participation of governmental organizations, aside from national states in international action. This intertwined with the classical debates regarding national sovereignty and federalism. The challenge facing Brazil is to connect potential interests of external relations of state governments and municipalities with those of the national State.
Sub-national governments; Paradiplomacy; Brazilian foreign policy; International relations theory