Bolsonaro

COMMENT

Donald Trump, ‘world king’…Brazil’s Bolsonaro pays court

— Donald Trump embraces a ‘world king’ persona, influencing global politics with imperial ambitions. His return energises Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, despite legal troubles, but can Trump’s influence truly reshape Brazil’s political future?

Long-Read

The rise and rise of national populism (Part 1 – “Divide and rule”)

— National populism, fuelled by media-backed disinformation, anti-immigrant rhetoric, and libertarian ideologies, threatens democracies globally by eroding institutions, fostering fear, and exploiting divisions.

Brazil

What remains of ‘Operation Car Wash’, Brazil’s historic anti-corruption probe?

— Brazil’s Operation Car Wash, launched in 2014, exposed widespread corruption, leading to political turmoil, protests, and convictions, including current President Lula da Silva’s. However, institutional rollbacks and political backlash have since weakened corruption control.

COVID-19

COVID-19: The false promise of Hydroxychloroquine

— A new study published in the Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy journal estimates that the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 was associated with nearly 17,000 deaths in six countries during the first wave of the pandemic.

UK Politics

Why so many people have had enough of experts

— New research highlights three key reasons for declining trust in experts, and how to regain their authority in future.

8 January Attack

Brazil: Swift and robust response to the insurrection highlights the strength of democracy

— Hundreds of Bolsonaro supporters have been arrested and state governors read the riot act for disloyalty to the elected government. January 8 has, if nothing else, highlighted the anti-democratic nature of Bolsonarismo.

8 January Attack

Never take Democracy for granted

— The January 8 riot attack on Brazil’s National Congress shows the consequences of choosing corrupt, populist, and fearmongering leaders.

8 January Attack

Democracy under attack in Brazil: 5 questions about the storming of Congress and the role of the military

— The sacking of key democratic institutions in Brasilia has parallels with the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol but was different in one key way: the position of the military.

Brazil

At Lula’s inauguration, did Bolsonaro ‘eat the last cannibal’?

— When Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, widely known as Lula, assumed the Brazilian presidency on New Year’s Day 2023, his predecessor had already created an element of something called ‘eating the cannibal’.

Voting Rights

Voter suppression: How democracies around the world are using new rules to make it harder to vote

— Laws making it more difficult to vote are being introduced around the democratic world, an expert says. They risk undermining democracy.