Latin American "soft power" in action: Brazil and Chile as pillars of UNASUR (2004–2017)

The article examines Latin American "soft power" in Haiti during the period of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) from 2004 to 2017, as a combination of political-diplomatic, humanitarian, policing, and infrastructural practices through which Brazil and Chile served as the main regional pillars of the mission while simultaneously shaping their own models of international influence in the South-South cooperation space. The analysis focuses on the forms of this influence, their institutional connection to the MINUSTAH mandate, and their impact on the legitimization of the mission within Haitian society and the international community. The scientific novelty lies in reconstructing MINUSTAH as an institutional platform where the "soft power" of Brazil and Chile developed not parallel to peacekeeping but within it, relying on military-police and civilian components of the mission. It is shown that Brazil used its status as the leading country in the military component to expand its diplomatic authority and cooperation projects, while Chile established its position through engineering-humanitarian functions and local infrastructural support. The conclusion is drawn that Latin American leadership in MINUSTAH set a specific regional profile for the mission, blending security tasks and practices of international legitimization; however, the limits of "soft power" became evident in trust crises after 2010 and in the ambiguous perception of the mission by Haitian society. The study employed document analysis, quantitative methods, statistical analysis, and comparative studies of the obtained data. The research allows the conclusion that Latin American leadership in MINUSTAH established a specific regional profile for the mission, intertwining security objectives and practices of international legitimization. The "soft power" of Brazil and Chile was institutionally embedded in peacekeeping procedures and developed through them rather than parallel to them. The completion of MINUSTAH and the transition to a subsequent justice support mission confirmed the continuity of this connection, maintaining channels of external influence in less militarized forms. Thus, the Haitian experience demonstrates that in long-term stabilization operations, the coercive and "soft" dimensions of peacekeeping are mutually determined, and the sustainability of external influence is defined not only by resources but also by the level of trust of the host society.