Andres Oppenheimer
You have to give credit to
It's not unusual for Latin American countries to prosecute politicians for real or imagined corrupt practices: in fact, most new governments go after their political rivals from preceding governments as soon as they can. But
Thirty-eight top officials and allies of President
The hearings, which started
While neither Rousseff nor
Rousseff, a
A former guerrilla turned no-nonsense politician - I happened to sit only a few feet away from her during her public appearance with President
"The fact that the country is able to take up this issue in a world where there is so much corruption is good news," says
"All of these individuals facing charges have used the legal system to avoid judgment for a number of years. At the end of it, rather than simply letting it disappear, the Brazilian judiciary as an institution has proved to function probably better than that of virtually any other Latin American country," he added.
"What we are seeing here is institutions that work," Sotero said.
During Rousseff's term, in addition to the layoffs of several government ministers, Brazilians have seen other key anti-corruption moves, including the implementation of a "clean record" law that does not allow politicians to run for office if they have been found guilty of a crime.
My opinion: I'm not a great fan of Rousseff's foreign policy, which - although perhaps not as bad as
While
In
The outcome of
- Brazil Could Break the Mold in Anti-graft Battle
- Mexico's Geopolitical Strategy
- Latin America Gets Bad Marks in Innovation
- Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Battling the Cocaine Trade
- Uruguay's Plan to Sell Pot May Not Be That Crazy
- Ecuador's Crusade for Assange is All About Power
- Brazil: Playing Foreign Policy Chess in Latin America
- Chile is Still a Model for Latin American Neighbors
- Impunity Returns to Peru
- Latin America's Challenge: The 'Boring Stuff'
- The Winner of Mercosur's Expansion: Brazil
- Tourism Stays Strong Despite Violence in Mexico
- Mexico's Movement for Real Democracy
- Chinese Interest in Latin America's Growth
- Mexico's Ruling Party Rebound
- Mexico's President-Elect Vows to Imprison Vote Buyers
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