Rossi and Rousseff
Three weeks ago the Republic Party left Rousseff’s coalition after its all star Alfredo Nascimento, the transportation minister, was sent packing. That’s no big loss, but the PMDB–the biggest partner to Rousseff’s Worker’s Party government–is threatening to follow suit if the dismissals continue.
With the PMDB in uproar and analysts forecasting deadly attacks from the “wasp’s nest” that the president hit, Rousseff backpedaled. On August 24 she said that no more ministers would be fired.
Despite the obvious benefits of cleaner government, I believe Rousseff has made a major political mistake. In January she inherited a government ready to rein in inflation, champion Palestinian independence, and effectively triangulate relations between Beijing and Washington. Her first three months in office advanced on these fronts. Since then, however, her honeymoon has come to an end and her agenda is being tattered by the corruption scandals.
Ego has to play some role. Since being tapped by Lula as his successor, Dilma has been dogged by comparisons with him, and at times chided for living in his shadow. Obviously she wants her own success, but to strike out in a new direction like this is more of a risk than it is worth: opponents doubting her experience are becoming stronger as her approval ratings ebb, and fair-minded voters are unlikely to see Rousseff as a reformer when newspapers publish details of graft within her inner circle. President Rousseff should swallow the humility that goes with being a political novice, try to recover her footing and advance major initiatives with broad political support.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
