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Brazil, 5/1/08
Overview:
Join Active Minds for an in-depth look at the country that covers nearly half of South America: Brazil. We will look at Brazilian history and recent events, most notably the Presidency of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (commonly known as Lula). We will examine where Brazil fits in the growing tendency of South American countries to support leaders from the left. We will also look at key issues in Brazilian relations with the U.S. such as trade, energy, and the environment.
Key Lecture Points:
• Brazil, the largest country and largest economy in South America, has become an increasingly vital American partner. As the US tries to counter the rise of Venezuela and anti-American sentiment in Latin America, trade and energy relations with Brazil have taken on a new strategic significance.
• Brazil, formerly a Portuguese colony, gained its independence in 1822. Unlike much of Latin America in the 19th century, Brazil was until 1889 rather politically stable under the leadership of a powerful monarch. Democratic revolution in 1889 resulted in over 4 decades of peaceful, republican rule. In 1930, military dictatorship swept the country, disrupting its democratic trajectory. Only since 1989 has Brazil really returned to stable, democratic politics.
• In 2002 Brazil elected its first working-class President, Luiz Ignacio de Silva (“Lula”). Lula has had the difficult task of policymaking in a complicated and polarized political system. Strong elites demanding fiscal conservatism and market-oriented policies combine with radical populist-leaning lower classes demanding pro-poor growth to make Lula’s position a rather precarious one. His 2006 reelection (with over 60% of the vote) is seen to be a consequence of his successful paring down of the government’s debt as well as pro-poor programs like the Bolsa Familia (a grant for poor families). Whether this interesting combination of policies is sustainable remains to be seen.
• Unlike the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s radical, socialist agenda, Lula is thought to be a member of Latin America’s “pragmatic left”, simultaneously trying to meet the needs of the poor and reconciling the country to an increasingly global capitalist economic system. Lula’s more nuanced position is one of the reasons that the US has seen Brazil as an important ally in combating the rise of “Bolivarism” in Latin America.
• President Bush’s visit to Brazil in 2005 and Lula’s visit to the US in 2007 symbolize a growing partnership between the two countries on a number of regional and global issues, including trade and energy. In particular, the US and Brazil are attempting to conclude an ethanol partnership designed to create a global market in biofuels. The agreement is controversial for many reasons, including concerns from American farmers about Brazilian competition and concern about the effects of the agreement on the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest.
Exploration Questions:
• Do you think it’s possible for Lula to balance socio-economic populism with fiscal conservatism?
• What other options might Brazil have to stimulate economic growth aside from agricultural growth at the expense of the Amazon? Does the US biofuel agreement work at cross-purposes with protection of the rainforest?
Reflective Questions:
• Have you ever been to Brazil? What was it like? In what way did it differ from travel to other South or Central American locales?
• Do you recall any Cold War fears in regard to Brazil? Other countries in Latin America?
More to Explore:
• About Brazil: www.state.gov
• Joint Statements by President Bush and President de Silva: www.state.gov
• Joint Statements by President Bush and President de Silva: www.whitehouse.gov
Books For Further Reading:
• Bourne, Richard. Lula of Brazil. University of California Press, 2008. 308 pages. This is the first, major English-language biography of Luiz Ignacio de Silva, metalworker and union organizer turned President of Brazil. Click here to order.
• Marx, Anthony W. Making Race and Nations: A Comparison of the United States, South Africa and Brazil. Cambridge University Press, 1998. 410 pages. This academic and historical study, based on hundreds of interviews, explores the interconnections of colonization, race, politics and culture via a comparative analysis of the US, Brazil and South Africa. Click here to order.
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