Though, I have to wonder if it is actually that hard to change a culture of corruption as the critics on this page say it is. I'm not Brazilian, I'm Indian. At one point India had the same culture of corruption that Brazil does today. Yet, thanks to the efforts of a few far-seeing government officials (e.g. Manmohan Singh) a significant amount of corruption has been eradicated. Sure, there's a lot left, but the trend has shifted decisively in the right direction.

I'm wondering if the same thing could work in Brazil. A leader that decides to pursue anti-corruption almost to the exclusion of other duties could do a lot if the people are sick of having to deal with the extra hassle that corruption imposes on everyday life. The question is, are the Brazilian people ready?

Brazil has been the country of the future for at least 37 years.

Once a friend of mine who happens to know someone working for the CIA said (and I quote) "this friend guy at the CIA tells me they see Brazil as 'the country of the future' and they are doing their best to keep it that way". I guess he was (partly) joking but, truth is, Brazil only started to recover when it stopped following the 'advice' coming from the IMF and started running the show on its own.

I hear the right-wing free-marketeers crying "regulation! socialism! welfare state! high interest!" and the rest. Yet, what works best for the US might not be what works best for Brazil. Just saying.