Is Brazil the Chicago of Latin America?

We shouldn’t be surprised that Brazil — and other countries in the BRICS — is dealing with the stumbles and falls of an emerging economy. Meaningful progress takes decades.

FP_podcast_article_artwork-1-globalthinkers
FP_podcast_article_artwork-1-globalthinkers

Once the great hope of emerging-market countries, Brazil is facing widespread government corruption. China is experiencing an economic slowdown. India is still tangled in bureaucratic red tape. Russia operates its government with a mafia mentality.

Once the great hope of emerging-market countries, Brazil is facing widespread government corruption. China is experiencing an economic slowdown. India is still tangled in bureaucratic red tape. Russia operates its government with a mafia mentality.

On this week’s episode of The E.R., FP’s David Rothkopf, Rosa Brooks, Yochi Dreazen, and Kori Schake weigh in on the BRICS — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — and the problems each country faces and why the expectation of seeing true change over the course of a few years is a pipe dream.

The panel digs into the following questions: How long does it take to really weed out corruption and greed and to right oneself on the path to good governance? How long will it really take for the BRICS to tackle their lack of good governance, rampant corruption, and slowing economic growth — if ever? And is it possible for greed and corruption to actually help a country evolve, providing that it’s in moderation?

Rosa Brooks is a senior fellow at the New America Foundation and teaches international law, national security, and constitutional law at Georgetown University. Follow her on Twitter at: @brooks_rosa.

Yochi Dreazen is the managing editor for news at FP and author of The Invisible Front. Follow him on Twitter at: @yochidreazen.

Kori Schake is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, where she focuses on military history, and is a former foreign-policy advisor to Sen. John McCain. Follow her on Twitter at: @KoriSchake.

David Rothkopf is the CEO and editor of the FP Group. Follow him on Twitter at: @djrothkopf.

Subscribe to The E.R. and other FP podcasts on iTunes here.

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