The performance of Brazil’s Congress, and particularly the governing coalition makes one wonder whether the nation’s deliberative process should be moved somewhere else— far away from the alleged ‘representatives of the people.’ Congress is where the government’s coalition ‘allies’ select their robber baron cabinet ministers, the same ones that have been resigning one after the Read more about Movements Against Corruption Afoot in Brazil[…]
Brazil’s long-awaited freedom of information law is once again under threat. Senator and disgraced ex-President Fernando Collor, who was impeached in 1992 by the very Senate he now serves, has proposed radical revisions to the freedom of information bill 41/2010. These changes constitute a clear affront to President Dilma Rousseff, who has supported passage of Read more about Brazil’s Long-Awaited Freedom of Information Bill Once Again Under Threat[…]
The Fateful Question of El País Correspondent Juan Arias Search for the question “por que os brasileiros não reagem?” (Why don’t Brazilians react?) or the phrase, “do Brazilians really not know how to react to hypocrisy and their leaders’ lack of ethics?” (“Será que os brasileiros não sabem reagir à hipocrisia e à falta de Read more about Why Don’t Brazilians React?[…]
When President Dilma Rousseff took office in January, she counted on the largest congressional majority Brazil had ever witnessed—a super-majority that gave her more than three-fifth of votes Congress— enough to change the constitution. Rousseff lost that super-majority when the PR and its block of 52 deputies broke with the government on Tuesday, reported Jornal Read more about New Brazilian Record: 4 Ministers Fall in 8 Months of Corruption Faxina[…]
A friend recently wrote me about this report on Brazil by one of the leading economic intelligence publishers, Strafor. The article is worth a read, and it’s a freebe. This is part of my response: “This article is quite a sweeping take on the country, with an interesting geo-economic vision: Brazil is a logistical nightmare, Read more about Response to a Stratfor Global Intelligence Article on Brazil[…]
Over the past three months, corruption scandals and ministerial resignations have been changing the face of Brasilia. Yesterday, Defense Minister Nelson Jobim resigned after expressing dissatisfaction with President Dilma Rousseff’s handling of the military. Jobim’s departure marks the third Minister to resign in the first seven months of the Rousseff administration. At the pace of Read more about Dilma Cleaning House or Slapping Wrists?[…]
With the U.S. teetering at the precipice of default, countries around the world are struggling to understand how they might be affected. Brazil’s current economic situation is a mixed batch: on the one hand, it is stable and flush with reserves (about US$350 billion); on the other hand, investors looking to diversify out of the Read more about Brazil’s Financial Position as U.S. Edges toward Default[…]
Sure, federal governments run the postal service, a military that doesn’t have a lot to do, and a few social programs, but what the heck are they good for anyways, besides causing a lot of bickering in Congress? You’re not likely to find very good answers perusing the news. Look in any newspaper and you’ll Read more about Reviewing the New Brazilian President’s 1st Semester: Policy[…]
This past Wednesday night Dilma Rousseff threw a cocktail party to celebrate the end of her government’s first semester and the beggining of the National Legislature’s mid July break. According to LatinNews.com, 17 of 38 ministers made an appearance, as did the Presidents of both Chambers of Congress and the Vice President. The event began Read more about Reviewing the New Brazilian President’s 1st Semester: Politics[…]
The U.S. and more than 50 other countries met today to discuss a new international initiative to promote open government around the world, the Open Government Partnership (OGP). The aim is to create a multinational, multi-stakeholder compact to advance openness, accountability, transparency, and good government. The OGP is to be announced at the inauguration of Read more about The Open Government Partnership–A New Direction for U.S. Foreign Policy?[…]