The large-scale operation in Rio de Janeiro carried out on October 28, which has already left at least 121 people dead and once again laid bare the logic of war applied to poverty, should not be understood solely as a local public-security issue.
It is part of a global control...
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...
Political Intrigue Grows As Brazilian Election Approaches
Déjà vu is playing out in Brazil. After protracted media and judicial campaigns against former president Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva, translating into his imprisonment for one-and-a-half years, the effect has been minimal, if any, as far as the 2022 presidential polls are...
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...
“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...
With little variation, as it was 60 years ago, Brazil’s military and political elite, as well as its big business sector—namely agribusiness—are not fond of what could remotely be perceived as progressive, left-wing politics.
God forbid their country, harboring Portuguese colonial heritage in every nook and cranny, despite failing to...
“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...
On January 8th, right-wing Brazilians stormed the federal building and Supreme Court in the capital of Brasília. Inspired by baseless accusations by former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro that the October elections were stolen, the rioters broke windows, smashed art, destroyed paintings, stole computers and more.
“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...
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...
