National sovereignty vs. sustainable development lessons from the narrative on the internationalization of the Brazilian Amazon

Sustainable development changes the governance of modern states and more precisely the way in which they exercise their sovereignty. How does the governance of states strongly subjected to sustainable development undergo transformations when guided by international standards? A debate has emerged within Brazilian society surrounding the concerns about internationalization of the Amazon. Through analysis of this subject matter (considered as a meta-narrative), we show how it reveals a redeployment of national governance in the Amazon. The comparative significance and scaler politics of this merits further research. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved