O Barão do Rio Branco e o traçado das fronteiras do Brasil

Resumo

Colonel Renato Barbosa Rodrigues, technical consultant of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and representative of that Ministry on the Central Directorate of the National Council of Geography, gives a detailed, erudite and documented description of Rio Branco's Work in fixing Brazil's boundaries.

            The article is entitled "The Baron of Rio Branco and the Establishment of Brazil's Boundaries". It begins with the history of the Luso-spanish antecedents and the analysis of the principle of uti possidentis, of great importance in all Brazil's treaties and always defended by Brazil. Then it discusses the frontiers "in which the Baron of Rio Branco intervened". The exposition follows the historical order and in each case gives "the previous or disputed frontier, and the result of his intervention".

            The first case is "Boundaries with the Argentine". The subdivisions are: "Aguiar de Andrada Mission"; "First and Second Demarcation"; "The War of 1801"; "New Negotiations with 'Argentina"; "Creation of a Commission to Explore the Disputed Territory"; "Argentinian Confidential Proposal''; "Arbitration Treaty of 1890"; "Special Mission of Brazil"; "Rio Branco, head of the Mission"; "Extension of the Dispute"; "Settlement of the Dispute"; "Treaty and Boundary Agreement"; "Uruguay Islands"; "Iguaçu Islands".

            With the same elucidative criterion and the same detailed, historical exposition and reproduction of the principal historical, diplomatic documents, he discusses "Boundaries with French Guiana"; "Boundaries with Colombia"; "Boundaries with Peru"; and "Boundaries with Uruguay".

            He closes this study of our pacific boundary questions with these words: "But the Baron of Rio Branco did not only concern himself with boundaries. While with the portfolio of Foreign Affairs, he entered into all international questions of interest to Brazil, always trying to place her in a position of high moral standing in the eyes of other nations. By his great and noble services he has won bis place in History among the great Brazilian types which Brazil so deservedly has crowned with laurels”.