Migration Contributes to Brazil's Regional Ascendance

Tensions rose along the border between Brazil and Bolivia in late April when Bolivian soldiers forcibly expelled more than 100 Brazilian farming families from Bolivian territory. The soldiers allegedly pursued the families approximately 8 kilometers (5 miles) into the town of Capixaba in the Brazilian state of Acre. In response to the incident, the Brazilian government sent a platoon of soldiers to Capixaba and held closed-door diplomatic talks with the Bolivian government, after which a statement said the situation had been "resolved."

This is the most recent episode in ongoing border tensions between Brazil and its Southern Cone border states. As Brazil's population migrated west into the country's hinterland, Brazilian citizens have migrated across the western border and settled in neighboring states. Conflicts periodically have erupted between locals and migrants, between migrants and host countries' governments and between host governments and the Brazilian government. The migration patterns that have shifted border populations in favor of Portuguese-speaking Brazilians drive Brazil to take a more active role in mediating conflict and building regional relationships.