The nation with the largest territory, economy and population in Latin America, Brazil has long been seen as a country with tremendous potential. Though in previous moments in its history, the perception of its emergence in the global scene had taken place, it was in the early 2000s, with the consolidation of its democratic transition, fast economic growth and historic reduction of absolute poverty, that Brazil seemed to be on the path of becoming an important player in world affairs. Echoing wider dynamics shaping the world in the last decade, however, things unraveled fast in the so-called country of the future, and Brazil finds itself now trying to rebuild its democratic institutions while navigating more challenging domestic and global scenarios. Come reflect together on how this came to pass, and on the perspectives for Brazil in the today’s world.
Speaker: Rafael R. Ioris, Professor of Latin American History and Politics, University of Denver
R. Ioris is the author of books, book chapters and numerous articles in Brazilian and international journals dealing with the history of the Brazilian and Latin American development process, Brazilian foreign policy, and Brazil-U.S. relations. He is the author of Transforming Brazil: A History of National Development in the Postwar Era (Routledge, 2014).