Abstract Contributing to a global nuclear history, this article discusses Brazil’s refusal to accept sensitive nuclear assistance from South Africa in the late 1970s. Relying on primary sources and oral history interviews, this study argues that despite their similar positions in the global nuclear order, Brazil’s decision was connected to political and technological reasons.

Este artigo analisa a diplomacia nuclear brasileira e a relevância internacional do programa nuclear adotado durante os dois mandatos presidenciais de Luís Inácio Lula da Silva. Atenção particular é dada à posição brasileira no acordo sobre não-proliferação nuclear, ao papel de mediação entre o Irã e as potências nucleares e, finalmente, às ambições nacionais concernentes aos usos militares e industriais das tecnologias nucleares.

The present article is an analysis of Brazilian nuclear diplomacy and of the international relevance of the national nuclear program adopted during the two Presidential terms of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Particular attention will be given to the Brazilian position in the agreement on nuclear non-proliferation, to the role of mediation between Iran and the nuclear powers, and finally to the national ambitions concerning the industrial and military uses of the nuclear technologies.