Book review: aspirational power: Brazil on the long road to global influence by David R. Mares and Harold A. Trinkunas

In Aspirational Power: Brazil on the Long Road to Global Influence, David R. Mares and Harold A. Trinkunas examine Brazil as an exemplar of the use of soft power to obtain greater global influence. While identifying cases that challenge some of the book’s analysis, Mark S. Langevin finds this is an indispensable evaluation of Brazil’s changing position in the world order that also provides a comprehensive framework through which to better understand the workings of soft power

Brazil's crisis of political legitimacy has opened the door to rant-and-rave populist Jair Bolsonaro

Though Bolsonaro has little relevant experience, a poor record as a legislator, and few economic, fiscal, or foreign-policy proposals, his ability to capitalise on widespread hostility to Brazilian politics and politicians has made him the second most popular candidate for the 2018 presidential election, writes Mark S. Langevin (George Washington University)

Brazilian foreign policy in the Trump era: a chance as much as a challenge

Trump may represent a challenge to Brazil and multilateralism, but his government also offers unique opportunities for Brazilian foreign policymakers to advance economic integration and expand the nation’s leadership in the international community, writes Mark S. Langevin

Brazil elections 2018: the five risks facing President Bolsonaro

Jair Bolsonaro’s remarkable rise to the presidency has already caused a significant shake-up of Brazilian politics. But in the longer term, a looming fiscal catastrophe and sky-high expectations on crime and corruption could lead to political instability or even a constitutional crisis, writes Mark S. Langevin (George Mason University)

Book review: Beef, bible and bullet: Brazil in the age of Bolsonaro by Richard Lapper

In Beef, Bible and Bullets: Brazil in the Age of Bolsonaro, Richard Lapper examines the underlying features of Brazilian society and recent socio-economic trends that shaped the 2018 presidential elections and lifted Jair Bolsonaro to power. Mark S. Langevin reviews the book, which provides a compelling, albeit incomplete, explanation of Bolsonaro’s ascent by exploring who exactly he represents. Beef, Bible and Bullets: Brazil in the Age of Bolsonaro. Richard Lapper. Manchester University Press. 2021

Book review: Beef, bible and bullets: Brazil in the age of Bolsonaro by Richard Lapper

In Beef, Bible and Bullets: Brazil in the Age of Bolsonaro, Richard Lapper examines the underlying features of Brazilian society and recent socio-economic trends that shaped the 2018 presidential elections and lifted Jair Bolsonaro to power. Mark S. Langevin reviews the book, which provides a compelling, albeit incomplete, explanation of Bolsonaro’s ascent by exploring who exactly he represents. Beef, Bible and Bullets: Brazil in the Age of Bolsonaro. Richard Lapper. Manchester University Press. 2021

Long read: why Trump's trade tariffs may mean he faces a rusty road to reelection

Two years ago President Trump introduced tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum imports, ostensibly to protect US jobs and markets. Mark S. Langevin writes that these tariffs – and China’s retaliation against US soybean exports – may have hit communities in swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin the hardest, potentially making his road to reelection rockier this year

Bolsonaro's new Alliance for Brazil is a lesson in the politics of loyalty and campaign finance

Jair Bolsonaro’s shock election victory in 2018 was made possible by his pact with the Social Liberal Party (PSL). But since he took office, the party’s internal politics have become increasingly tumultuous, with Bolsonaro eager to wrest control of key appointments and resources away from PSL godfather Luciano Bivar. This conflict has led Bolsonaro to launch the Alliance for Brazil, but he faces an uphill battle to register it in time for 2020 municipal elections, and he may be underestimating the importance of the PSL’s access to public campaign financing, writes Mark S. Langevin (George Mason University)

Book review: Decadent developmentalism: the political economy of democratic Brazil by Matthew M. Taylor

In Decadent Developmentalism: The Political Economy of Democratic Brazil, Matthew M. Taylor advances a comprehensive account of Brazil’s decades-long boom-and-bust development trajectory. Taylor pierces through the ideology of developmentalism to offer an institutional and policy examination of the country’s ‘low growth equilibrium’ in order to explain a series of disappointing developmental outcomes, including a social security system that concentrates income and labour market regulations that effectively divide society between privilege and exploitation, writes Mark S. Langevin. Decadent Developmentalism: The Political Economy of Democratic Brazil. Matthew M. Taylor. Cambridge University Press. 2020

How Minnesota has stepped into the presidential election center-stage

For nearly fifty years Minnesota has voted for a Democratic President. Mark Langevin reminds us that Donald Trump only lost the state by a narrow margin in 2016, and that in this year’s election, the incumbent President will be looking to gain the state for the Republicans. To win the North Star State, Trump will need to run up the vote in the counties which he flipped four years ago, and expand his electoral base in counties next to the Twin Cities