Explore every episode of the podcast Explaining Brazil
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil’s hidden racism: the truth behind the numbers | 04 Sep 2024 | 00:30:57 | |
In our book club, economist Alysson Portella discusses the figures that unravel the structures of racial inequality in the country and points out ways to overcome it. | |||
| Cutting the Central Bank's cord? | 28 Aug 2024 | 00:43:43 | |
Brazil's Central Bank has enjoyed political autonomy since 2021, and Congress is analyzing a bill to make it financially independent, too. But this freedom has not come without controversy | |||
| Global ambitions, domestic neglect? | 19 Jun 2024 | 00:16:07 | |
Since returning to the Brazilian presidency, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has shown something of a preference for foreign policy, potentially to the detriment of domestic politics. He's traveled the world, appearing at almost every international summit that will have him, with the articulated goal of "repositioning" Brazil on the world stage. Read show notes | |||
| What if Bolsonaro really tries to stage a coup? | 21 Sep 2022 | 00:38:36 | |
President Bolsonaro has hinted that he could try to stage a coup if he loses the upcoming election. If he really pulls that trigger, then what? Read show notes. — | |||
| The broad front gets broader | 14 Sep 2022 | 00:20:57 | |
Former Environment Minister Marina Silva, who until recently was highly critical of Lula and his Workers' Party, has just endorsed the former president. For her, democrats' main goal should be unseating Jair Bolsonaro. Read show notes. — | |||
| LIVE: Bolsonaro pushes Brazilian democracy to its limits | 07 Sep 2022 | 01:02:24 | |
Just a month shy of the elections, pro-Bolsonaro protesters will hit the streets on Independence Day to show their support for the current president. But could this September 7 impact the results at the ballot box? In a special live taking place in Brasília, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo, our very own Gustavo Ribeiro and Euan Marshall will discuss the demos and their significance with Beatriz Rey, SNF Agora fellow and columnist at The Brazilian Report. Special live appearances by Cedê Silva, in Brasília, and Constance Malleret, from Rio de Janeiro. | |||
| 1822, Ep. 4: Pomp under circumstance | 06 Sep 2022 | 00:20:14 | |
SPECIAL SERIES: In this fourth and final episode, we shed light on the multiple "Independence Days" across Brazil, each with its own significance. Read show notes. — | |||
| 1822, Ep. 3: The pacifist myth | 05 Sep 2022 | 00:15:05 | |
SPECIAL SERIES: In the third episode of our series, we look at Brazil's wars of independence, showing that constituting this new country was not as bloodless as many believe. Read show notes. — | |||
| 1822, Ep. 2: Independence or Death | 04 Sep 2022 | 00:17:54 | |
SPECIAL SERIES: In this second episode, we look at the real story of what happened on September 7 — not the one taught in school textbooks. Read show notes. — | |||
| 1822, Ep. 1: And Brazil was no longer a colony | 03 Sep 2022 | 00:15:25 | |
SPECIAL SERIES: In this special mini-series, we walk you through the eccentricities and myths of this period, its legacies in the country 200 years later, and how Brazil became Brazil. Read show notes. — | |||
| Do presidential debates still matter? | 31 Aug 2022 | 00:28:00 | |
The much-anticipated confrontation between Lula and Jair Bolsonaro ended up being underwhelming. But besides that, have we really learned anything from Sunday's debate? Read show notes. — | |||
| Has the internet killed TV and radio political ads? | 24 Aug 2022 | 00:28:34 | |
The election four years ago led many to believe that TV and radio ads had become a thing of the past. But have they? This week we will talk about TV and radio ads, then and now. Read show notes. — | |||
| Deflation for whom? | 17 Aug 2022 | 00:19:37 | |
Brazil registered 0.68-percent deflation in July, suggesting that prices are easing. But a look beneath the headline numbers makes for some sobering findings. Read show notes. — | |||
| Strike as an environmental risk | 11 Jun 2024 | 00:18:02 | |
Why disgruntled civil servants are a risk to Brazil's environmental goals. Read show notes | |||
| Pro-democracy pushback | 10 Aug 2022 | 00:21:59 | |
As President Jair Bolsonaro's anti-democratic antics grow in volume, banks and tycoons become vocal in their defense of democracy. A coup, after all, is bad for business. Read show notes. — | |||
| The state of monkeypox in Brazil | 03 Aug 2022 | 00:22:13 | |
Brazil has over 1,300 confirmed cases of monkeypox. With the exception of Peru’s 275 confirmed cases, no other Latin American countries have hit the 100-case mark, making Brazil the region's monkeypox hotspot. Read show notes. — | |||
| Electoral gears start to heat up | 27 Jul 2022 | 00:22:11 | |
The main candidacies in Brazil's presidential election in October have been made official by their parties. We discuss what that changes in the race. Read show notes. — | |||
| Anitta enters the presidential race | 20 Jul 2022 | 00:30:47 | |
Arguably Brazil's biggest pop star of the moment, singer Anitta has endorsed former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva — and is even giving him campaign advice. | |||
| Fears of political violence grow | 13 Jul 2022 | 00:22:19 | |
The murder of a Workers' Party official spells a bad omen for Brazil's upcoming general election. Read show notes. — | |||
| Bolsonaro is throwing money at his problems | 06 Jul 2022 | 00:24:53 | |
The Brazilian president wants to sidestep election laws to jack up spending ahead of the election. Columnist Beatriz Rey warns of the risks of giving him such powers. | |||
| A second swing at Bolsonaro | 29 Jun 2022 | 00:21:03 | |
The opposition failed to remove Bolsonaro from office with last year's Covid hearings. They want a new congressional investigation to hurt him at the ballot box. Read show notes. — | |||
| The president v. Petrobras | 22 Jun 2022 | 00:20:34 | |
While the price of gas isn't exactly the best metric to understand the economy at large, the ubiquity of fuel and its direct impact on people's monthly budgets make it an easy shorthand for the broader economic scenario — especially when prices are going up. Read show notes. — | |||
| Where are Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira? | 15 Jun 2022 | 00:35:31 | |
It has been 11 days since journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira were reported missing. The police are yet to find the two. Read show notes. — | |||
| Is the Monroe doctrine dead? | 08 Jun 2022 | 00:31:22 | |
A deflated Summit of the Americas won't bring many noteworthy resolutions, though it will be interesting to see what transpires from a bilateral meeting between Presidents Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil and Joe Biden of the U.S. Read show notes. — | |||
| The Brazilians evangelizing the Middle East - To Be Read: Where authors translate Brazil | 07 Jun 2024 | 00:36:09 | |
A family left Brazil for Afghanistan in the 2000s, aiming to convert Muslims to Christianity. Adriana Carranca talks to Isabela Cruz about this story and the political dynamics surrounding it, as she explained in her work "Soul By Soul." Watch the full interview on Patreon for free! | |||
| Hunger haunts Brazil again | 01 Jun 2022 | 00:14:28 | |
Brazil thought the economic growth of the 2000s had rid the country of hunger. But this ghost of the past has returned to haunt the country. Read show notes. — | |||
| Who will face off against Petro in Colombia? | 25 May 2022 | 00:37:04 | |
The final spot in the presidential runoff in Colombia remains up for grabs. The dispute between populist Rodolfo Hernández and establishment conservative Fico Gutiérrez will be decided by a razor-thin margin. Read show notes. — | |||
| China raises red flags in Brazil | 18 May 2022 | 00:25:26 | |
April economic data from China came worse than expected. Given the sheer importance of the Asian giant to Brazil, that is something for President Jair Bolsonaro, who seeks re-election in October, to worry about. Read show notes. — | |||
| Lula launches lunge for legacy | 11 May 2022 | 00:47:18 | |
Former President Lula officially began the race for an unprecedented third presidential term. The challenges he will face are far greater this time around. | |||
| Warning Biden | 04 May 2022 | 00:27:36 | |
A group of researchers from the U.S.-based Washington Brazil Office believes the threat of democratic rupture in Brazil is very real, and they want Joe Biden to react. | |||
| Bolsonaro rattles institutions. Could they break? | 27 Apr 2022 | 00:22:54 | |
When the holder of the highest office in the land openly challenges judicial decisions, it spells a bad omen for the endurance of democratic institutions. Read show notes. — | |||
| Jair calls time on the pandemic | 20 Apr 2022 | 00:17:19 | |
After over two years and more than 660,000 deaths in Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro is claiming "victory" over Covid-19 — but the government deserves no credit after its hapless pandemic response. Read show notes. — | |||
| Why Venezuela will lead the world in growth | 13 Apr 2022 | 00:28:06 | |
After years of economic debacle, President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela has adopted more pragmatic economic policies. And the results are showing. | |||
| Brazilian 'third way' crashes and burns | 07 Apr 2022 | 00:24:08 | |
Unpopular politicians, no unifying candidate, and erratic moves have scuppered the chances of Brazil's democratic right in the 2022 election. | |||
| Petrobras merry-go-round spins again | 30 Mar 2022 | 00:22:51 | |
With inflation weighing down his chances of winning a second term, President Jair Bolsonaro has nixed the CEO of Petrobras. Again. Read show notes. — | |||
| Privatizing Brazil's beaches? | 05 Jun 2024 | 00:18:22 | |
A bill pending in the Senate proposes transferring control of coastal land to state governments, municipal authorities, or private interests, raising fear about the future of Brazil's beaches. Read show notes | |||
| What the (brief) Telegram ban means in Brazil | 23 Mar 2022 | 00:28:48 | |
It was more than a ban of the messaging app, courts wanted to draw a red line in the sand, which Telegram should not cross. But how Brazil will handle the app going forward remains murky — both legally and politically. Read show notes. — | |||
| Gas prices put Bolsonaro in a bind | 16 Mar 2022 | 00:21:24 | |
The ghost of inflation continues to haunt President Jair Bolsonaro, who is running out of ways to hold prices down. Read show notes. — | |||
| Brazil depends on Russia's fertilizer faucet | 09 Mar 2022 | 00:16:41 | |
President Bolsonaro declared Brazil would be "neutral" in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, mentioning a crucial facet of the war for Brazilian interests: fertilizers. | |||
| What happens when the police go on strike | 23 Feb 2022 | 00:25:02 | |
Officers in the state of Minas Gerais have called a strike. How this crisis unfolds will send a message to other law enforcement agencies around the country. Read show notes. — | |||
| How dreamy is Lula's dream team? | 16 Feb 2022 | 00:28:42 | |
Leading all the polls, Brazilian center-left icon Lula is seeking a blockbuster alliance with a bonafide conservative. But the move is far from a guaranteed success. | |||
| Brazil's Telegram problem | 09 Feb 2022 | 00:22:56 | |
Messaging app Telegram has been a thorn in the side of Brazil's electoral courts. But authorities are struggling to come up with ways to curb misinformation. Read show notes. — | |||
| Brazil's risk of imported inflation | 02 Feb 2022 | 00:24:55 | |
A Russian invasion of Ukraine or prolonged tensions between Moscow and the West could disrupt agricultural production and push inflation even further up. Read show notes. — | |||
| Between Moscow and Washington | 26 Jan 2022 | 00:16:52 | |
Washington has tried to get Brazil to condemn "Russia aggression" in Ukraine. But Bolsonaro has his reasons to keep a safe distance from the current geopolitical crisis. | |||
| Bad Neighbor policy | 19 Jan 2022 | 00:22:25 | |
President Jair Bolsonaro's demeanor has made Brazil's South American neighbors hit the pause button on multilateral initiatives. That could have terrible consequences for the region. Read show notes. — | |||
| Bolsonaro picks a dangerous fight | 12 Jan 2022 | 00:27:41 | |
Federal civil servants threaten to go on strike next week, which could cause a government shutdown just months from the presidential election. Read show notes. — | |||
| Taxing the tops | 29 May 2024 | 00:19:21 | |
Shein, AliExpress, and Shopee have become ubiquitous in Brazil, causing much controversy along the way. Now, a bid from domestic retailers to bump up taxes on these platforms seems to have taken hold. Read show notes | |||
| Teaser: What to expect from 2022 Brazil | 08 Dec 2021 | 00:04:49 | |
As 2021 draws to a close, our newsroom is about to launch a new report laying out the main trends for Brazil’s economy, politics, and the environment in the year to come. | |||
| A new home for Bolsonaro | 01 Dec 2021 | 00:19:44 | |
After much comings and goings, Bolsonaro has found a new party, in an arrangement that will help shape Brazil's political landscape for 2022 and beyond. Read show notes. — | |||
| Brazil's vaccination success | 24 Nov 2021 | 00:19:25 | |
This time last year, Brazilian citizens were unsure if they would ever get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Now, the country has immunized 80 percent of its adult population. Read show notes. — | |||