Brazil

AQ Top 5 Young Entrepreneurs: Leila Velez

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Beauty company Beleza Natural became a national leader by empowering Brazilian women.

No More Odebrechts: Three Steps to Reduce Graft in Latin America

The revelations of years of immense and systemic bribe payments to policymakers across Latin America by engineering and construction conglomerate Odebrecht are an unmitigated disaster for Brazil – and its foreign policy of the last decade and a half. The internationalization of Brazilian capitalism – that is, the government’s strategy of boosting Brazil’s influence by … Read more

Five Latin America Stories You Might Miss in 2017 (But Shouldn’t)

If 2017 is anything like 2016, making predictions on where Latin America will be a year from now is probably a losing bet. Remember when it seemed inevitable that voters in Colombia would pass the country’s landmark peace accord with the FARC, or that the Rio Olympics would be crippled by large-scale social unrest? The … Read more

Cardoso: The Era of Elitist and Demagogic Politics Is Over

A version of this article was first published in Portuguese on Poder 360. In a recent interview, Brazilian President Michel Temer invoked the “voice of the streets” to say he would veto a so-called “Caixa Dois” bill – a proposal that would grant legislators amnesty for irregularities involving election financing – if Congress approved it. … Read more

Brazil’s Democracy Is Dominated by Old Men. This Group Wants to Change That.

Brazil’s democracy is under assault. On November 16th, activists stormed the lower house of Congress in Brasília and openly called for the reinstatement of the military dictatorship that reigned from 1964 to 1985. On the very same day, public servants occupied the State Congress in Rio de Janeiro protesting newly introduced austerity measures by the … Read more

How Foreign Policy Can Help Address Brazil’s Violence Epidemic

Last week, Fórum Brasileiro de Segurança Pública, a well-respected NGO based in São Paulo, published a series of grim statistics. In 2015, a staggering 58,383 people were assassinated in Brazil. The number of murders in Brazil increased over 250 percent in the last three decades, jumping from 13,910 in 1980 to above 50,000 in 2012. … Read more

AQ Top 5 Jóvenes Políticos: Eduardo Leite

Read in English Cuando Eduardo Leite se lanzó a la alcaldía de la pequeña ciudad de Pelotas en Rio Grande do Sul, el estado más meridional de Brasil, este hijo de profesores universitarios no contaba con una red política apreciable en la cual apoyarse. Así que ¿cómo es que, cuatro años después de su sorpresiva … Read more

Marina Was Right. Will She Be Brazil’s Next President?

Reading Time: 5 minutes

The environmentalist who predicted the crisis is now a contender for 2018. But she has her own challenges to face.

Ideas for a Better Brazil

Introducing AQ’s New Issue: Fixing Brazil

I’d like to start AQ’s special issue on Brazil with a confession. Over the past two years, as Latin America’s biggest country sank ever deeper into crisis, I’ve voiced more or less the same view: That Brazil is resilient, that its long-term history is one of clear growth and progress. That it will come out … Read more

Foi tudo culpa dela?

Read in English Era 12 de outubro de 2010, e o ministro da Fazenda do Brasil estava fazendo uma apresentação para a comunidade financeira de Nova York sob os lustres de cristal da sede da Americas Society/Council of the Americas. Duas semanas antes, Guido Mantega havia causado sensação ao denunciar uma “guerra cambial” global que … Read more

Marina estava certa

Read in English Houve um breve momento durante a campanha presidencial brasileira em 2014 em que Marina Silva parecia destinada a ganhar tudo. Ao escapar notoriamente da pobreza, da malária, intoxicação por mercúrio e outros horrores aos que se expôs crescendo na Amazônia, aprender a ler aos 16 anos, e transformar-se de empregada doméstica em … Read more

Uma primeira análise de 2018

Read in English MARINA SILVA, 58, EX-MINISTRA DO MEIO AMBIENTE Por que ela pode vencer: Atual líder nas pesquisas, ela combina uma postura antielitista com uma plataforma econômica de centro. Mensagem anticorrupção clara, uma história de vida inspiradora. Pode ter apelo entre ricos, pobres e a classe média. Por que ela pode perder: Um colapso no … Read more

Olha o Picolé

The Brazilian street vendors’ call “Olha o picolé!” (“Look at the Popsicle”) will evoke memories of steamy days for anyone who grew up in Brazil. But the picolé, once considered a cheap alternative to ice cream, has gone upscale. Now sold at shopping malls and even French restaurants, the picolé has become a favorite of … Read more

Ciro? Serra? 10 Candidates Who Could Become Brazil’s Next President

This article is adapted from AQ’s most recent issue, “Fixing Brazil.” To receive the print edition at home, subscribe here. Leia em português MARINA SILVA, 58, FORMER ENVIRONMENTAL MINISTER Why she might win: Current frontrunner combines anti-establishment cred with a centrist economic platform. Clear anti-corruption message. Inspiring life story. Can appeal to wealthy, poor and … Read more