The Historic Opportunities and Challenges for a Post-Bolsonaro Brazil

The Historic Opportunities and Challenges for a Post-Bolsonaro Brazil

Author: The Watson School November 23, 2022 Duration: 27:10

On October 30, 2022, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – known by most simply as Lula – defeated Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro in a runoff election.

On Lula's agenda: rebuild Brazil’s social safety net, restore the country’s democratic institutions, and advocate for the country's most marginalized citizens -- oh, and save the Amazon rainforest. He'll have to do all of that while navigating a divided government, polarized public, and aggressive far-right opposition.

On this episode of Trending Globally Dan Richards explores this historic moment in Brazil with James Green, a historian and professor of Latin American history at the Watson Institute, and the host of the podcast Brazil Unfiltered

They discuss how Lula came to win, and what his victory means for Brazil and the world. They also look at why, contrary to what so many people predicted and feared, Brazil’s election went relatively smoothly. Because, as James makes clear: it easily could have not. 

 

Learn more about James Green’s podcast Brazil Unfiltered.

Find transcripts and more information about all our episodes on our website.

Learn more about the Watson Institute’s other podcasts. 


From the Watson School at Brown University, Trending Globally: Politics and Policy brings the insights of leading scholars and practitioners directly into your ears. This award-winning podcast digs into the complex forces shaping our world, moving beyond headlines to understand the deeper political and policy decisions behind them. Each conversation is designed to unpack a pressing issue-whether it's international trade tensions, public health crises, or social movements-with clarity and depth. You'll hear experts from the Watson Institute and beyond explain not just what's happening, but why it matters and how different policies might change the course of events. The discussions are grounded in rigorous research yet remain accessible, turning daunting global topics into understandable and engaging dialogue. For anyone curious about the mechanics of power, governance, and societal change, this series offers a vital resource. It’s a direct line to some of the sharpest minds in international and public affairs, all within a format that fits into your daily routine. Find Trending Globally: Politics and Policy and add it to your listening rotation for a consistently informative perspective on the stories that define our time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Trending Globally: Politics and Policy
Podcast Episodes
The surprising results of India’s election [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:49
On June 4, results came in from the largest democratic election in history. Over 640 million people voted in India’s election, which took place at over one million polling places across the country over the course of six…
What should the Supreme Court’s role in our politics be? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:57
At the Watson Institute, the beginning of summer means commencement festivities, moving trucks, and bittersweet goodbyes. In American politics, the beginning of summer means something very different: the approach of the…
How American firearms fuel violence in Mexico [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:03
Mexico, like the United States, has a gun violence problem. It has one of the highest murder rates in the world, and most of those murders come from firearms. In 2019, for example, almost 70% of the country's 35,000 murd…
A new history of the Sandinista Revolution [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:47
In the 1970s in Nicaragua, left-wing rebels, calling themselves the Sandinista National Liberation Front, fought to overthrow their country’s dictator. It worked. The Sandinistas led a coalition that took over the govern…
What happened to the ‘American dream’? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:24
Here’s a depressing fact: it takes longer to travel from Boston to Los Angeles today than it did 50 years ago. Getting to the airport, getting through the airport, the flight itself — just about every part of the process…