Foreign Affairs

Why are diplomatic relations between the United States and Brazil so unpredictable? Although Brazil is a large country, it is not a powerful country. The asymmetries between the United States and Brazil are an important irritant in the bilateral relationship. For more than a century,...

The Lula Government

The 2002 national campaign took place in the context of continued economic uncertainty. The Social Democrats nominated a close associate of Cardoso from São Paulo, José Serra. Unsurprisingly, Lula was the candidate of the opposition PT: Lula campaigned in 2002 explicitly against the market-oriented, neoliberal...

The Military in Power

Did the first phase of the military government (1964–1967) offer any hope of a return to electoral democracy? First and foremost, from the perspective of the military, Brazil’s slide into a communist state had been stopped—and just in time. The task at hand, given the...

Conclusion

Was the 2014 presidential election totally unpredictable? As the Brazilian election cycle began in the spring of 2014—with the first round of voting on October 5—the general expectation was that the PT would nominate incumbent President Dilma Rousseff and that she would win, perhaps outright...

Brazilian Culture and Society

Brazil has a vibrant national culture. It ranges from the passionate commitment of the average Brazilian to “their” soccer team to the bossa nova, an imaginative film industry, and Carnival. These colorful and fascinating aspects of life in Brazil are as important as government changes,...

Public Policy Challenges for the 21St Century

What explains the agricultural revolution in Brazil over the last few decades? The question is often asked, “Can Brazil become competitive globally?”1 While there are many obstacles to overcome to reach international competitiveness, there is universal recognition that the country is a global...

Failed Transition?

The military regime was ending but what would come next for what was termed the “New Republic?” Tancredo Neves was viewed as a great unifier. As he prepared for his inauguration on March 15, 1985, a long-standing illness worsened and he fell ill on the...

The “Experiment” in Democracy, 1945–1964

Thomas Skidmore, in his definitive book on Brazil titled Politics in Brazil, 1930–1964: An Experiment in Democracy, wrote that “all Brazilians, regardless of political position, seem agreed that April 1, 1964, was a watershed in postwar Brazilian history.”1 This section of...

Dilma Rousseff

Unlike many presidents in Latin America, Lula chose to follow the Constitution and not attempt to change it to allow for a third term. In spite of pressure from the PT, he remained firm and it soon became apparent that he had “chosen” the PT...

From the Republic to the Estado Novo

Did the creation of the Republic contribute to the modernization of Brazil? The overthrow of the empire redefined the political contours of Brazil. The two traditional parties of the empire imploded and were replaced with a national Republican Party. Decentralization of political power became a...