Brazil’s ‘pajama generals’ reveal their plan for the country

“For the fatherland, nothing must be spared — without asking for anything in return. Not even [the country’s] understanding.”

The phrase was coined by Siqueira Campos, one of the leaders of a putschist revolt led by Brazilian Army lieutenants in the early 1920s. It epitomizes a sentiment that has become prevalent among the country’s Armed Forces: that it is their job to steer the country back in the right direction whenever they deem it necessary. 

The same phrase opens the memoirs of Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra, the most infamous torturer of the military dictatorship. It is also present in a new document entitled “Project For The Nation,” a 37-chapter program laying down the vision of retired generals on matters such as homeland security, foreign relations, and economic development.

In itself, the document is unremarkable and fits what one would expect from a plan drafted by retired old-school military officers — who many in Brazil jokingly refer to as “pajama generals.” But some aspects give the program much darker undertones.

For starters, many of the pajama generals who presented the manifesto have recently shown their support for a military coup, as is the case of former General Luiz Rocha Paiva. Others, meanwhile, have issued threats against the Supreme Court. In 2018, former Army Commander Eduardo Villas...