908) O Brasil visto pela Stanley Foundation

Brazil and the Changing Global Order
Stanley Foundation
July 2008

Across politics, economics, culture, military strength, and more, a new group of countries have growing influence over the future of the world. And a number of issues vital to US and global security are rapidly evolving due to a changing global order. "Rising Powers: The New Global Reality" takes an in-depth look at the rapidly changing global order and what it means for the United States. This article is a part of a series related to this Stanley Foundation effort.

Brazil is one of nine countries that the Stanley Foundation sees as changing the global scene. With vast natural resources the country has seemingly unending potential to grow and develop. Brazil is already flexing its muscle as a regional leader and a real player in key international venues.

Today, Brazil is one of the fastest growing parts of the global economy, a bio-fuels pioneer on the fast track to energy self-sufficiency, a booming haven for foreign investment, and a test case for a new approach to governance in Latin America. On the other hand, barriers to global leadership for Brazil include a long history of political volatility with only a short tenure of democratic rule coupled with unstable economic growth and high levels of poverty, inequality, and crime.

Still, it is clear that Brazil is already playing an influential role in international affairs, and it has a place among major global players if it can overcome its obstacles to growth and keep itself on a path toward stable development.

The foundation has produced a one-hour public radio documentary about Brazil titled "Brazil Rising." The full audio and transcript are available here. And our Rising Powers special Web feature has even more about Brazil including video, interviews, and suggested articles from around the world.

Please send us your thoughts about Brazil, the changing global order, and the materials offered in our Rising Powers effort. Comments may be reprinted on the Web, in this newsletter, and in related materials.

Radio Documentary
Brazil Rising (Now Available)
Produced by the Stanley Foundation with KQED Public Radio and KUT Austin

But a new Brazil is emerging on the world stage. Brazil today is one of the fastest growing players in the global economy, a bio-fuels pioneer on the fast track to energy self-sufficiency, a booming haven for foreign investment, and a test case for a new approach to governance in Latin America.

Can Brazil successfully chart a new path that overcomes the country’s grinding poverty and its tide of violent crime, while still preserving the country’s unique environment?

Will the new Brazil continue as a strategic partner for the United States or could it become a formidable competitor? How will the rest of the world accommodate Brazil’s seemingly unstoppable growth?

In “Brazil Rising,” released in June 2008, veteran public radio journalist David Brown takes listeners on a personal journey across the country, exploring Brazil’s view of itself, its neighbors, and the world.

“Brazil Rising”—produced by Simon Marks, Kristin McHugh, and Keith Porter —is a Stanley Foundation production in association with KQED Public Radio and KUT Austin.

The full program is available as a MP3 file here. A complete transcript is available here.

For radio stations, the full program along with promotional materials are now available on PRX.

More information about Brazil's role in the shifting global order is here.