"Dark Times Are Coming for My Country" - Caetano Veloso

In the late 1960s, the military dictatorship in Brazil arrested and imprisoned many artists and intellectuals for their political beliefs. I was one of them. The militarists are back.

"Qual o poder do WhatsApp? Quem são e no que acreditam os eleitores de Bolsonaro" - Isabela Oliveira Kalil

É necessário, sem dúvida, que a Justiça Eleitoral se posicione sobre o disparo ilegal de pacotes de mensagens via WhatsApp, mas é também necessário nos perguntarmos como e por que as pessoas tendem a acreditar e compartilhar mensagens falsas. A partir de uma extensa pesquisa de quase três anos, foi possível identificar 16 diferentes perfis de apoiadores e potenciais eleitores de Jair Bolsonaro.

"Brazil’s Bolsonaro-Led Far Right Wins a Victory Far More Sweeping and Dangerous Than Anyone Predicted. Its Lessons Are Global." - Glenn Greenwald

FOR THE PAST THIRTY YEARS, Congressman Jair Bolsonaro was a fringe extremist in Brazilian politics, known mostly for outlandish, deliberately inflammatory quotes in which he paid homage to the most notorious torturers of the 1964-1985 military regime, constantly heralded the 1964 coup as a “defense of democracy,” told a female socialist colleague in Congress that she was too ugly to “deserve” his rape, announced that he’d rather learn that his son died in a car accident than was gay, and said he conceived a daughter after having four sons only due to a “moment of weakness.” (Last September, he used Google to translate a Brazilian epithet for LGBTs to, in essence, call me a faggot on Twitter).

"WHAT BRAZIL’S WORKERS’ PARTY NEEDS TO DO IF IT HOPES TO DEFEAT JAIR BOLSONARO’S FAR-RIGHT COALITION" - Andrew Fishman

BRAZIL JUST EXPERIENCED one of the most dramatic moments in its democratic history. Four years ago, Jair Bolsonaro was an Army reservist and a congressman from Rio de Janeiro with relatively limited national influence and connected to a minor party. When his name did pop up, it was usually to be condemned for his outrageous, stupid, hateful, racist, misogynist, or homophobic comments, or his enthusiasm for the military dictatorship and the torture that it inflicted on dissidents. His legislative achievements were almost nonexistent. On Sunday, however, he solidified his role as the leader of a far-right counterrevolution that swept through the nation like a tornado.

"Brazilian Democracy on the Brink" - Robert Muggah

After years of corruption scandals, economic malaise, and deepening political polarization, Brazilians have lost faith in the promise of democracy, and could soon elect a dangerous authoritarian to the presidency. Before going to the polls on October 7, Brazilians should understand exactly what a vote for Jair Bolsonaro would mean for the future of their country.

"Brasil: Democracia ou Nazifascimo" - Leonardo Boff

Nunca em nossa história fomos colocados diante de uma alternativa tão radical: o ex-capitão candidato à Presidência, Jair Bolsonaro se apresenta com todas as características do nazifascismo que vitimou milhões na Europa na Segunda Guerra Mundial e um outro de quem não se pode negar um espírito democrático, Fernando Haddad. Bolsonaro mesmo declarou que não se importa ser comparado a Hitler. Se ofenderia se o chamassem de gay.

Agradeço à Isabel do Carmo

"Brasil Eleições 2018: Como combater a desinformação na Internet?" - Ariel Kogan & Marcio Vasconcelos

Google, Facebook e Twitter devem realizar esforços tecnológicos para fornecer respostas e combater algoritmicamente a distribuição da desinformação e da polarização no contexto das próximas eleições presidenciais.

"Justice or Democracy in Brazil?" - Jorge G. Castañeda

Brazilian authorities have banned former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from running for reelection, owing to a corruption conviction. Unfortunately, this strict interpretation of a statute Lula himself signed could open the way for an election result that ultimately subverts the rule of law – and takes democracy down with it.