Jair Bolsonaro is not the only reason his country is in a ditch
The political system that helped him win office needs deep reform
HOSPITALS ARE full, favelas echo with gunfire and a record 14.7% of workers are unemployed. Incredibly, Brazil’s economy is smaller now than it was in 2011—and it will take a lot of strong quarters like the one reported on June 1st to repair its reputation. Brazil’s death toll from covid-19 is one of the worst in the world. The president, Jair Bolsonaro, jokes that vaccines might turn people into crocodiles.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Brazil’s dismal decade”
Leaders June 5th 2021
- The new geopolitics of global business
- Getting rid of Binyamin Netanyahu would help Israel clean up its politics
- Someone has to foot the bill for empty offices
- Violent crime is rising in American cities, putting criminal-justice reform at risk
- Jair Bolsonaro is not the only reason his country is in a ditch
From the June 5th 2021 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Leaders
Is the big state back in Britain?
The risk is not too much interventionism, but too little audacity
How to make tourism work for locals and visitors alike
Holidays don’t have to be hell
Genomic medicines can cost $3m a dose. How to make them affordable
The treatments are marvels of innovation. Their pricing must be inventive, too
Chinese companies are winning the global south
Their expansion abroad holds important lessons for Western incumbents
The Middle East must step back from the brink
That still means starting with a ceasefire in Gaza
Can Nicolás Maduro be stopped from stealing Venezuela’s election?
Peaceful protests and judicious diplomacy offer some hope