Brazil Coup D'etat Underway?

[maqroll]

Not sure if many of you guys have been keeping an eye on this situation, but it has been riveting and totally unbelievable. I'll see if I can find an article about it that I read and was staggering. I'll post it when I find it. Until then, here's a quick CNN vid with Glenn Greenwald giving the low down on all the dirty deeds.

There is a tragedy about Brazil, it seems like it's in their national psyche. They should be a powerhouse and political player on the globe scene, but they can never get their act together.

And now we see some dodgy people with dodgy agendas trying to potentially overthrow the government, with some pro-military dictatorship rhetoric being tossed around by prominent politicians.

Very dangerous times for Brazil. Plus with the Zica virus and Olympics coming up things are looking grim indeed.

video

[maqroll]

Lots of speculation in this article, but it gives you a rough view of the whats and whys.

Brazil union federation: 'coup' backed by US imperialism, working class is main target

http://www.fightbacknews.org/2016/4/18/brazil-union-federation-coup-backed-us-imperialism-working-class-main-target

Quote

Political Resolution of the CTB National Council

Held in Sao Paolo, on April 8, 2016, the political Council of the Central of Male and Female workers of Brazil - CTB, after assessing the conjuncture, approved the following resolution:

1-There is currently underway in the country, an impeachment process, without any legal grounds, a coup d ‘ état that insults the democratic state of law and threats the national sovereignty, the integration process of Latin America and the Caribbean and its institutions (like the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States -CELAC and the Union of South American Nations - UNASUR) as well as social rights;

2-Behind the coup, powerful interests associated with imperialism act as dark forces or openly, led by the US, and the great national bourgeoisie. They explore and deepen the economic crisis and instrumentalize sectors of the Judiciary Power, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Federal Police and the media monopolies led by Globo broadcasting network, which make up for the pro coup press party. They are the same social forces that supported the 1964 military coup.

3-The working class is the main target of the putschists, whose agenda is to prioritize a labor reform in order to end with the labor code, to impose widespread outsourcing, to reverse the hardly conquered achievements of the recent years, to privatize Petrobras, to deliver the pre-salt deposit to foreign capital, to rip the 1988 citizen Constitution, to criminalize social movements and to trample democratic freedoms, installing a dictatorship.

4-Signs of the future that awaits us, if the ongoing coup were to triumph, can be perceived in the truculent and illegal actions of the military police of the states governed by right wing parties such as in Sao Paulo state governed by Alckim, with attacks against social movements,headquarters of leftist parties and student organizations as well as the killing of farmworkers in Paraíba and Paraná states. The CTB expresses its solidarity with the families of the killed comrades, and demands the most rigorous investigation of these crimes and punishment of those responsible and reiterates its full and active support for the land reform and participation in the national campaign to be held under this banner on May 19th.

5-Given the seriousness of the political, economic and institutional crisis which disturbs the nation, the political Council guides the CTB state departments and its militancy to realize - in alliance with other organizations that make up the Brazilian Popular Front and People without Fear movement -a huge day of action against the coup, in defense of democracy, sovereignty and social rights. It’s time for total mobilization to raise the consciousness of the working class about what is at stake in the political struggle and to unmask the pro coup media.

6-Only through the construction of a broad front in Congress and the popular mobilization will the coup be interrupted and stopped and therefore create the conditions for the resumption of the economic growth and employment. The CTB must strengthen the protest camp against the coup and for democracy that will start in Brasilia from April 10th, the demonstrations called for the days April 11th and 15th and national night watch on April 17th, day of the impeachment vote by the plenary of the Lower House.

São Paulo, April 8, 2016

 

[Heretic]

2 hours ago, maqroll said:

There is a tragedy about Brazil, it seems like it's in their national psyche. They should be a powerhouse and political player on the globe scene, but they can never get their act together.

 

There's an old saying. Brazil is the country of tomorrow and always will be.

[tonyh29]

I thought this was their president being impeached and saying it was a coup to try and save her neck ? but I'll  be honest it's only really something I've seen in passing and thought meh and moved on to the next article 

 

they had something similar in 2014 as I recall ( thin it was oil related then ) they go through this in Brazil as frequently as Newcastle fight relegation 

 

 

Edited April 18, 2016 by tonyh29

[Heretic]

9 minutes ago, maqroll said:

 

Brazil union federation: 'coup' backed by US imperialism, working class is main target

 

 

The US is the standard pantomime villain for Latin American countries taking a dive, of course. Venezuela has turned this propaganda into a fine art.

[Corcaigh]

The LRB have a good back round on the politics and players involved:

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v38/n08/perry-anderson/crisis-in-brazil

TL:DR, Brazil is messed up.

 

 

 

[maqroll]

11 minutes ago, Heretic said:

 

The US is the standard pantomime villain for Latin American countries taking a dive, of course. Venezuela has turned this propaganda into a fine art.

Yeah, that's why I said the article is speculative in many ways. They never prove the US link, and it's a far left blog, but it provided some basic truths that help explain the issues at hand.

As to Tony's post- I have a feeling that the situation there is more precarious than normal (since they came out of dictatorship). 

What makes it all so fascinating is that nobody is clean. It's all just a free for all power grab death battle. Credit the Brazilians anyway, they lack pretense in this regard.

Edited April 18, 2016 by maqroll

[Heretic]

1 minute ago, maqroll said:

What makes it all so fascinating is that nobody is clean. It's all just a free for all power grab battle. Credit the Brazilians anyway, they lack pretense in this regard.

Nobody is clean is indeed correct.

But ultimately this (I think) is really a product (not the cause) of a larger disaffection. As usual, promises are made to the people about the prosperity that can be delivered by government. Now that emerging markets are in trouble and the rising dollar makes Latin dollar-denominated debts harder to pay, people's anger boils over.

If things were going well, people would just reason the corruption away.

[maqroll]

10 minutes ago, Corcaigh said:

The LRB have a good back round on the politics and players involved:

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v38/n08/perry-anderson/crisis-in-brazil

TL:DR, Brazil is messed up.

 

 

 

Nice link. The whole situation is so complicated yet so simple. Really the kind of drama only a country from Latin America can produce, and I say that with a deep affection for Latin Americans. 

Edited April 18, 2016 by maqroll

[maqroll]

3 minutes ago, Heretic said:

Nobody is clean is indeed correct.

But ultimately this (I think) is really a product (not the cause) of a larger disaffection. As usual, promises are made to the people about the prosperity that can be delivered by government. Now that emerging markets are in trouble and the rising dollar makes Latin dollar-denominated debts harder to pay, people's anger boils over.

If things were going well, people would just reason the corruption away.

But they aren't going well. And the people are pissed, as you say. And as they should be. Brazil has claims on a staggering amount of mineral wealth and they should be doing much better, but their politicians are robbing them without shame. Nobody has faith in the system and it's all a tinderbox waiting to be triggered. 

I just hope if there is a power vacuum, nobody with a hat on declares himself president.

[Heretic]

I bet you cant do much in Brazil without vested interests (gangs, politicians, mayors, police) sticking their nose in for a payoff.

People be more tolerant of such corruption in upswings (i.e. when Lula was in). Now people are struggling and want to challenge those receiving their bribes. When you're struggling for half a loaf, why be happy for the guy skimming ten loaves who has a full belly every night?

[villakram]

If the Pacific and European trade partnerships, plus the imminent realignment of South America take place, in addition to the detente with Iran, Obama will go down as one of the most significant presidents in imperial US history. Absent another clown presidency ala Bush, US global leadership would be assured for another generation.

Simply unimaginable only 10 yrs ago.

[maqroll]

31 minutes ago, villakram said:

the imminent realignment of South America

Can you expound on this?

[OutByEaster?]

The US is ensuring that it has an economic control over South America in advance of it's economic war with China.

Venezuela has the largest reserves of oil of any nation on the planet, more oil than the Saudi's, more oil than the US - it's been systematically kept in a state whereby the people of Venezuela aren't the beneficiaries of that natural wealth. When the people of Venezuela elected a government that suggested changing that a few years ago, that government was swiftly removed.

Brazil threatened to nationalise Petrobras and divert money from shareholders to the people of Brazil, it needs to go too. There is no room for South American socialism at a time when the US is trying very hard to maintain a global control in the face of a threat.

Control of these economies, and particularly of the supply of oil that comes from them is a vital part of the economic isolation of China and its Russian allies. It works in tandem with trade deals like TTIP and TPP in creating an economic block that can reduce the capacity of China to influence global finance. It goes hand in hand with the massive military build up by the US in Eastern Europe on Russia's borders (the largest since world war two) and the massive military build up by the US in and around the waters of South East China as methods of surrounding and isolating a threat to global hegemony.

 

 

[Brumerican]

8 hours ago, Heretic said:

 

The US is the standard pantomime villain for Latin American countries taking a dive, of course. Venezuela has turned this propaganda into a fine art.

" This is outrageous. Where are the armed men who come in to take the protestors away? Where are they? This kind of behavior is never tolerated in Baraqua. You shout like that they put you in jail. Right away. No trial, no nothing. Journalists, we have a special jail for journalists. You are stealing: right to jail. You are playing music too loud: right to jail, right away. Driving too fast: jail. Slow: jail. You are charging too high prices for sweaters, glasses: you right to jail. You undercook fish? Believe it or not, jail. You overcook chicken, also jail. Undercook, overcook. You make an appointment with the dentist and you don't show up, believe it or not, jail, right away. We have the best patients in the world because of jail".

Edited April 19, 2016 by Brumerican

[villakram]

15 hours ago, maqroll said:

Can you expound on this?

Argentina -- check

Venezeula -- ?, but really a proto-check

Brazil -- proto-check

Bolivia -- A push has already started there.

Honduras -- Batter up!

All the leftists one after the other. Argentina is the example here. See how quickly they settled with the bond hold-outs and re-integrated into IMF economic orthodoxy. Once could interpret these things as the natural order of things or as the prime example of soft power from the dominant political paradigm of our times.

[maqroll]

Old thread but suddenly relevant again:

 

[maqroll]

The MAGA disease has spread. 

[maqroll]

 

[sne]