“This pact exists throughout Brazil. It’s not privileged to Rio de Janeiro. Truth be said, it’s a very organic, structured relationship between Rio de Janeiro politicians, militia groups and the police.
How does it function?
Militias control growing amounts of territory. Approximately one million to 1.9 million people (in Rio...
Private interests and foreign influence helped to pave the path toward Brazil’s military dictatorship (1964-1985). The armed forces is not an institution separate from society...It’s a reflection of that violent and authoritarian society. However, they are more dangerous because they have the prerogative to legally use firearms.
—Priscila Brandão
An...
Preface
Evidence related to local Rio de Janeiro intelligence operations in these matters have not been ascertained. Incidents are fairly new and ongoing. Two separate arrests of the main subject of this investigative series occurred over a two-week period in February 2025: One was for reckless driving; the other involved...
He who was born, was born / He who wasn’t born, won’t be born / Get out the way of the bullet train or else you might get torn.—“He Who Was Born, Was Born” by MC G3
Will There Be “Peace, Liberty, And Justice” With Whatever Comes After Brazil?
Recorded circa...
Newly elected President Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva remains in hotel accommodation in Brasília, still unable to reside in the Alvorada Palace due to material damage and security concerns.
On the 21st of January, Brazilian president, Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva, sacked general Júlio César de Arruda as head of...
In private talks with their Brazilian counterparts, U.S. diplomats have expressed interest in resuming unrestricted access and use of air base installations in Natal, capital of the northeastern state of Rio Grande do Norte, as well as on the island of Fernando de Noronha.
Their central argument involves the so-called...
Inauguration of a Fusion Center of Multinational Intelligence gathering located next to the pristine Iguaçu Falls—a long-held dream of the U.S. Embassy—is a case in point
“The U.S. has been a huge partner to Brazil in this project and others as well and we’re taking advantage of the model that...
“In a serious country we wouldn’t have an investigation dragging on for four years,”— Marinete da Silva, mother of slain Rio de Janeiro city councilwoman Marielle Franco.
RIO DE JANEIRO – Four-plus years after the assassination of Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco (38), social media giant Facebook has yet...
BRAZIL—As if: questions shrouding the loyalty of Brazil’s armed forces toward the country’s federal government did not persist; the potential of being affected by a colonial-inspired conflict involving Venezuela and Guyana over the oil-rich region of Essequibo; and Operation Shield, a police offensive following the death of a military...
“Blindness that affects the other side also affects us.”
— Mano Brown
The saying goes: Um negócio pra boi dormir.” Literally, the Brazilian aphorism means: (To give) something for the bull to sleep. In practical layman’s terms it pre-figures social interactions where somebody, a group of people or an entity, says...
