Brazil

Craft Beer Thrives in a Rio de Janeiro Favela

The bar is small, housed in a converted garage near an entrance to the vast Complexo do Alemão favelas in Rio de Janeiro’s north side. But step inside, and big ambitions are on display: 120 types of beer from places as distant as Belgium line the wall. Despite its outsized aspirations, Bistrô Estação R&R is … Read more

Wanted: A (Sane) Brazilian President Who Can Stop the Violence

Ler em português RIO DE JANEIRO – The most vital Twitter feed here these days is called Onde Tem Tiroteio, or “Where There Is a Shootout.” One recent afternoon, in a span of just a few hours, it sent these alerts to its 36,000 followers: “Shots heard in Botafogo, near Santa Marta and Cobal. Attention … Read more

China’s Strategic Play in Brazil

China’s $1 trillion plan to remake the global order astonishes not only for its audacious scale, but also its geographic reach. The “One Belt, One Road” initiative is the backbone of a transformative geopolitical and economic agenda. President Xi Jinping’s brand of globalization dispenses with the old liberal order and is bending international trade in the country’s favor. The plan involves massive infrastructure projects in over 60 … Read more

On Corruption, They Still Don’t Get It

If you were a Mexican attorney general allegedly hiding your Ferrari from tax authorities, a former Brazilian minister trying to squirrel away $16 million in ill-gotten cash, or a Uruguayan vice president accused of using official funds to buy jewelry – well, you just had a very bad week. All of them got caught, in one … Read more

Michel Temer’s Reform Agenda in Brazil: A Rundown

As a foreign correspondent in Brazil, I have spent most of the past year talking about a handful of issues that dominate the headlines. There is an enormous appetite – both abroad and domestically – for news about the “Car Wash” corruption probe and its impact on President Michel Temer’s government. Who will go to … Read more

Rio’s Olympics Were a Raging Success! Really!

No matter what you may have read elsewhere, Rio de Janeiro’s 2016 Olympic Games were a massive success. OK, so the event was billed by former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as Brazil’s time to shine, “an opportunity without equal, increasing Brazilians’ self-esteem, consolidating recent achievements and inspiring new progress.” On that front, it’s … Read more

Brazilian Diplomacy: From First in Class to Disappearing Act

Brazilian foreign policy has always been an unpredictable affair. In the 1930s, dictator Getúlio Vargas had sympathies with Nazi fascism, even modeling labor laws after Benito Mussolini’s and fostering a militant wing vaguely resembling Adolf Hitler’s. But he ended up siding with the Allies during World War II. In the 1970s, during another authoritarian period, … Read more

18 na America Latina: Da favela para o mundo, através das redes sociais

Read in English Sabrina assume o centro do palco. Sob pequenas luzes de Natal coloridas, com um sorriso largo e bochechas arredondadas moldando o rosto, ela parece ter menos que seus 19 anos. Mas quando começa a recitar sua poesia, sua voz entra na cadência dura do rap para contar uma história bem adulta, sobre … Read more

18 in Latin America: From a Favela to the World, Via Social Media

Reading Time: 5 minutes

How Sabrina turned love of community, a way with words and a talent for communication into a career.

Brazil Is Tired. Guess Who Benefits?

Everywhere you go in Brazil, it’s the same thing. Circles under the eyes, hushed voices. A shrug. “Fazer o que?” In the bakeries of Eastern São Paulo. In courtrooms. In President Michel Temer’s government. Outside shuttered storefronts. At City Hall. In the 50-person line for jobs at a yogurt shop. In corporate suites. The anger … Read more

Brazil Is Tired. Guess Who Benefits?

Rio de Janeiro’s Party Is Over. Who Pays the Bill?

I teach at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, one of the most important educational institutions in Brazil, with more than 30,000 students. Broad programs of affirmative action have ensured that many of those students are from poor backgrounds, often the first members of their families to go to college. They are part of … Read more

Lula’s Sentencing Should Be a Sober Moment for All Brazilians

Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s sentencing on Wednesday was long expected, but no less of a bombshell. Lula may have fallen from the pedestal of international acclaim and approval ratings north of 80 percent; a majority of Brazilians may think he broke the law, at a time when citizens are becoming more aware … Read more

For Brazil’s Lula, It’s Not Over Yet

Well, now it’s officially part of the judicial record: Lula is in a category all his own. The most striking aspect of Wednesday’s ruling against former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was the judge’s admission that Lula warrants special treatment. This, more than any other detail, suggests the man who has dominated Brazilian politics … Read more