“Intocável e soberana”: a política externa independente (PEI) e o discurso anticomunista na grande imprensa brasileira (1961-1964)

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the representations of the Independent Foreign Policy (PEI), characterized as a pragmatic approach to Brazil’s international engagement, detached from ideological commitments, implemented during the administrations of Jânio Quadros and João Goulart (1961–1964). The research focuses on the Brazilian press, recognized as a central agent in the dissemination of ideas and the formation of public opinion, especially during a period marked by ideological polarization from the Cold War and the rise of anticommunism in Brazil. The study examines three major newspapers — Última Hora, Jornal do Brasil, and O Estado de S. Paulo — using a strategic timeline of events encompassing key national and international occurrences between 1961 and 1964. Methodologically, discourse analysis is employed to investigate explicit and implicit meanings in journalistic texts, revealing both expressed content and strategic silences while uncovering how newspapers constructed narratives reflecting political and social interests. The comparative analysis seeks to identify convergences and divergences among the newspapers regarding the doctrinal principles of the PEI and its concrete actions, analyzing how the media linked foreign policy to Brazil’s internal context and the global Cold War scenario. This thesis contributes to understanding the intersections between foreign policy, the press, and society, revealing how anticommunist discourse was instrumentalized to legitimize political and economic agendas. Furthermore, it highlights the role of the press as a mediator of public debate and an active element in the construction of consensus and polarization during the period leading up to the 1964 civil-military coup.