Why is Brazil not a stronger modern naval power?

Why is there no major current naval power in South America?

Brazil has the potential, but it would need consistent long-term investment to turn its economy into a substantially stronger fleet.

Brazil already challenges the premise that South America lacks any meaningful naval power. The country could achieve considerably more if naval investment were sustained over the long term rather than arriving in isolated bursts. In the 2021 discussion, Brazil is judged capable of supporting a carrier approaching Queen Elizabeth- or Trieste-class ambition. The answer frames naval power as an institutional and budgetary commitment, not merely a reflection of national economic size.