Since President Jair Bolsonaro took office on January 1, Brazil has made its way back into global headlines, albeit for the wrong reasons. His bigoted statements and lack of environmental policy has led to criticism from foreign governments, and made him—and the country—an object of ridicule.
In fairness, though, Brazil’s image problem abroad is far from being caused by Jair Bolsonaro alone. Instead, it is the result of an erratic foreign policy without continuity and clear objectives for the global stage.
Listen and subscribe to our podcast from your mobile device:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | SoundCloud | YouTube | Google Podcasts | Deezer
On this episode:
- Paulo Sotero is the director of the Wilson Center’s Brazil Institute and has covered the evolution of Brazil-U.S. relations for nearly 40 years as a journalist and analyst. A frequent guest commentator for the BBC, CNN, and NPR, Mr. Sotero has taught at Georgetown University and The George Washington University.
- Daniel Buarque is a Brazilian journalist and author of the book Brasil, País do Presente (in English: Brazil: Country of the Present). He is currently completing a doctorate on Brazil’s global image at King’s College University in London, and previously wrote for Brazilian publications including G1, Valor Econômico, and Folha de S.Paulo.
Background reading:
- What will Brazil gain from the Mercosur-EU trade deal? Natália Scalzaretto answers.
- Remember what happened when Jair Bolsonaro visited Donald Trump in Washington DC, in March 2019.
- VP Hamilton Mourão has a pragmatic approach to foreign relations.
- Listen to Explaining Brazil’s #6 episode, with Daniel Buarque. We discussed Brazil’s soft power—that is, a country’s ability to influence other nations without using military force of economic pressure.
Explaining Brazil is made by:
- Gustavo Ribeiro, editor in chief of The Brazilian Report. He has extensive experience covering Brazilian politics. His work has been featured across Brazilian and French media outlets, including Veja, Época, Folha de S.Paulo, Médiapart, and Radio France Internationale.
- Maria Martha Bruno, producer. She is a journalist with 15 years of experience in politics, arts, and breaking news. She has collaborated with Al Jazeera, NBC, and CNN, among others, and worked as an international correspondent in Buenos Aires.
- Euan Marshall, editing. is a journalist and translator who has lived in São Paulo, Brazil since 2011. Specializing in Brazilian soccer, politics and the connection between the two, his work has been published in The Telegraph, Al Jazeera, The Independent, among others.
Do you have a suggestion for our next Explaining Brazil podcast? Drop us a line at [email protected]