Brazil

Can Anyone Stop Brazil’s PCC?

This article is adapted from AQ’s print issue on transparency and the 2018 elections Leer en español | Ler em português Paraguay’s so-called Heist of the Century began just after midnight in April, when approximately 60 armed bandits poured out of the back of a cargo truck at the main offices of Prosegur, an armored … Read more

Four Reasons for Brazil’s Credit Dysfunction – and How to Fix It

Brazil’s Central Bank raised eyebrows in December when it lowered its target interest rate to 7 percent. That’s high by global standards, and about average for other major emerging markets, but it was a milestone for Latin America’s biggest economy: 7 percent is the lowest key interest rate in Brazil’s history. That Brazil’s all-time lowest … Read more

Four Reasons for Brazil’s Credit Dysfunction – and How to Fix It

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Brazil’s sky-high cost of credit hurts the economy; lowering it could be an important step in boosting growth and jobs.

Why I Believe Lula Will Be a Candidate in October

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Jailing a presidential frontrunner is “not the Brazilian tradition,” for better and for worse, writes AQ’s editor-in-chief.

Swiss Banks Also Feeling the Sting of Brazil’s Car Wash Investigation

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The opacity of Switzerland’s banking system served the corruption scheme well. Swiss authorities are looking at ways to change that.

The Judge Who Is Resisting Brazil’s Lava Jato

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As Brazilians fight against corruption and cronyism, one Supreme Court judge insists on doing things the old-fashioned way.

Brazil’s How-Not-To Guide on Trade

Reading Time: 5 minutes

A look at the sugar and ethanol industry shows why trade barriers are not the best response to globalization’s pressures.

Brazil’s Foreign Policy Isn’t Dead. It’s Just Hibernating.

The government of Michel Temer has dealt Brazilian foreign policy a body blow. Not only has the president traveled abroad less than any of his predecessors since Itamar Franco in the 1990s, but, more importantly, Brazil nowadays contributes remarkably little to dealing with urgent regional challenges. These include the crisis in Venezuela, transnational crime, China’s … Read more

Petrobras dá a volta por cima

Este artigo foi adaptado da edição impresa de AQ sobre Colômbia | Leer en español | Read in English Todos acompanhamos as machetes. A Petrobras, a estatal de petróleo brasileira, tornou-se, nos últimos anos, uma síntese de disfunção e corrupção, o epicentro do escândalo conhecido como Operação Lava-Jato, que resultou em pelo menos US$ 5 bilhões … Read more

Brazil’s Petrobras: Not Dead After All

Reading Time: 5 minutes

After years of financial uncertainty, the Brazilian oil giant is back from the brink – and beating regional competitors.

AQ Top 5 Latin American Art Activists: Angélica Dass

This article is adapted from AQ’s Top 5 list of Latin American art activists The first thing Angélica Dass saw upon entering the world was a camera. The daughter of an avid hobby photographer, the click of the shutter was a common theme in her childhood. So, too, were conversations about race. Her father is … Read more

Book Review: Euphoria and Failure of Greater Brazil

This article is adapted from AQ’s print issue on peace and economic opportunity in Colombia Once upon a time, back in the long-ago mists of, say, 2012, Brazil was still seen as a benign force in the world. Other countries, from Namibia to Peru to Mozambique, were seduced by its lively democracy and admirable record … Read more

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