Brazil Archives - Page 17 of 23 - Americas Quarterly

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

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

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

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

The Real Reason Brazil’s Government Is Struggling

On the surface, they seemed like two unrelated cases of bad luck. Just as Brazil’s economy was showing fragile signs of recovery, a new corruption scandal erupted on March 17 threatening to paralyze the country’s $130 billion beef sector. Days later, the pillar of President Michel Temer’s market-friendly economic agenda, a reform to the social … Read more

Brazil Should Do More for Venezuela’s Refugees and Migrants

Venezuela’s protracted political and economic crisis is reaching a breaking point. Over the past few months thousands of Venezuelans fled across the border to seek sanctuary in northern Brazil, many of them taking only what they could carry on their backs. Although the humanitarian emergency has been brewing for some time, the Brazilian authorities appear woefully … Read more

Revisiting Brazil’s 2013 Protests: What Did They Really Mean?

Brazil’s current political instability began four years ago, with a wave of street demonstrations that virtually no one predicted – and eventually drew more than 1 million people into the streets. In this special report, AQ’s editor-in-chief looks back at what really caused the protests – and whether today’s politicians have fully learned their lessons. … Read more

Three Top Challenges for Brazil’s Next Foreign Minister

José Serra’s tenure as Brazil’s Minister of Health from 1998 to 2002 was highlighted by a successful effort to overcome the resistance of U.S. pharmaceutical giants and provide Brazilians with universal access to generic AIDS drugs, a move that saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Serra was unable to make such a significant mark in … Read more

Brazilian Judge’s Enemies Come Out of the Shadows

When Sérgio Moro visited Washington, D.C. last July, the 44-year-old judge overseeing Brazil’s “Car Wash” corruption investigation was greeted with standing ovations and adoring questions. “Will you please run for president?” one Brazilian executive pleaded. “What advice would you give so we can have a ‘Car Wash’ in Mexico?” asked a lawyer. Well, what a … Read more

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

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