Brazil is in the midst of Presidential elections. They reveal the partisanship of the nation, with the current right wing President Jair Bolsonaro trailing the former left wing President Lula after the first round. We will examine what the top issues are, what’s at stake, and whether Brazil could face political violence or even an overthrow of the democracy with partisan stakes not dissimilar to the United States. How difficult it might be for Lula to govern if he does, in fact, win? If Bolsonaro loses, does he leave the presidency? What is the future of Amazonian deforestation? [ dur: 58mins. ]

* Marcelo M. Valenca is Assistant Professor at Brazilian Naval War College in Brazil. He is the co-author of The Articulation between Diplomacy and Military Power in the Great Strategies of Rio Branco and Amorim“.

* Erica Resende is an Assistant Professor of International Relations and Security Studies at the Brazilian National War College in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is the co-editor of Memory and Trauma in International Relations: Theories, Cases and Debates and Crisis and Change in Post Cold-War Global Politics.

This program is produced by Ankine Aghassian, Doug Becker, Mihika Chechi, Melissa Chiprin, and Sudd Dongre.