What’s Driving the Eerie Calm in Brazil’s Markets?
Just two weeks ago, corruption allegations involving Brazil’s President Michel Temer tipped the economy into turbulence: the stock market plummeted, the Brazilian real fell sharply, and headlines of the country descending into political and financial panic were everywhere. Again. By June 1, however, the economy had found an eerie calm. The Bovespa, Brazil’s stock market, … Read more
Is Brazil Ready for a Black Political Party?
Celso Athayde watched closely as members of Congress lined up on April 2016 to vote on President Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment. Conscious of the national audience following the proceedings, legislators dedicated their votes to their constituencies or causes: families, home states, insurance brokers – even Christians. Two things struck Athayde: the representatives were mostly white. And … Read more
Brazil’s Year of Living Dangerously
In May 2016, the Brazilian Senate impeached President Dilma Rousseff in the middle of her second term, amid economic recession, corruption scandals and street protests. She was replaced by her vice president, Michel Temer. One year later, Brazilians are discussing Temer’s impeachment, amid economic recession, corruption scandals, taped recordings that could incriminate the chief of … Read more
Amid Growing Violence, Brazil Is Weakening Indigenous Rights
Brazil has some of the world’s strongest protections for indigenous rights – on paper. In reality, dozens of indigenous people are killed each year in conflicts over land and resources. Brazil is the most dangerous country in the world for environmental defenders. Even as this violence escalates, the current government is working to weaken these … Read more
We Need to Talk About Lula
He is – still – the most popular president in Brazil’s history. He is as responsible as anyone for its worst recession on record. He is facing numerous corruption-related charges that could imprison him for the rest of his life. He is leading in the polls to be elected president again in 2018 – and … Read more
Women Are Changing the Face of Tech in Brazil
Camila Achutti grew up fascinated by code. Her father was a programmer and as a kid she’d listen intently as he dictated lines of COBOL, an English-like programming language, by phone. “It was this language that only select people spoke,” says the 25-year-old tech entrepreneur from São Paulo. “I wanted to be part of that … Read more
Why Brazilian Politics Needs a Radical Makeover
Brazil is one of the top 10 economies globally, but it fails to meet too many of its population’s basic needs. It is one of the OECD countries with the highest public spending on education – yet Brazilian students perform worse on international tests than those in other OECD countries. Half of all Brazilians still lack access to basic sanitation and 35 million lack … Read more
Film Review: “The Distinguished Citizen”
This article is adapted from AQ’s special issue on the U.S.-Mexico relationship. To receive AQ at home, subscribe here. Early in The Distinguished Citizen, Daniel Mantovani (Oscar Martínez) says the only thing he’s ever done is escape the town of his youth. The truth is that his past sustains him more than he would like to admit. Daniel, the “distinguished … Read more
10 Things to Do: Northwest Argentina
This article is adapted from AQ’s special issue on the U.S.-Mexico relationship. To receive AQ at home, subscribe here. Argentina’s northwest corner owes much of its appeal to the convergence of Andean deserts and fertile valleys, offering visitors an array of stunning natural landscapes to get lost in. Its isolation from the rest of the country, meanwhile, has helped the … Read more
Argentina on Display
This article is adapted from AQ’s special issue on the U.S.-Mexico relationship. To receive AQ at home, subscribe here. From London’s Frieze to Miami’s Art Basel, art fairs are the zenith of the art market, providing a platform for gallerists, artists, curators and collectors to interact. Buenos Aires, once isolated from the rest of the art world, is now attracting … Read more
Francis Mallman: From Patagonia to the World
This article is adapted from AQ’s special issue on the U.S.-Mexico relationship. To receive AQ at home, subscribe here. Francis Mallmann, widely acknowledged as Argentina’s top chef, is credited with bringing southern Argentina’s traditional wood-fired cuisine of grilled meats to the world. “I think I have developed a particular language that allows me to communicate beyond taste,” said the French-trained … Read more
“Fever Dream”
This article is adapted from AQ’s special issue on the U.S.-Mexico relationship. To receive AQ at home, subscribe here. “Haunting” is one of those literary descriptors that are applied perhaps a bit too liberally: We might read about illness or lost love, shipwrecks or close encounters, and find the term is as close as we can get to describing our … Read more
Brazil’s Foreign Policy Is “Back In the Game”
Latin America faces many challenges to ensure a better life for its citizens. The best tool to tackle such challenges is improving democratic governance, which does not always find fertile ground to thrive. The main obstacle to democratic governance continues to be populist politicians and their shaky commitment to democracy. The making of a democratic … Read more
3 Winners and Losers From Brazil’s Latest Corruption Revelations
After months of anticipation, Brazil’s Supreme Court released on Tuesday the names of dozens of politicians who will be investigated as part of the ongoing probe into corruption at state oil company Petrobras. The list is a veritable who’s-who of Brazilian politics, and includes nearly a third of President Michel Temer’s Cabinet and a third … Read more
As Threats to LGBT Brazilians Rise, These Trans Singers Take Center Stage
It’s one thing to perform for hundreds of spectators at Salvador, Brazil’s world-famous carnaval. It’s quite another to take the stage as a transgender woman in a region that has become a focal point of rising violence against Brazil’s LGBT community. That reality wasn’t lost on trans musicians Assucena Assucena and Raquel Virgínia as they … Read more