The Hill’s Top Opinions: Brazil’s democracy now facing its most crucial test: Will military intervene?

View Online  Opinion Monday, January 9 ©  AP Good Monday evening. This is Daniel Allott with The Hill's Top Opinions.   "Brazil's democracy faces its most crucial test of the last three decades," writes political science professor CARLOS GUSTAVO POGGIO TEIXEIRA.   A mob of supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed Brazil's government buildings over the weekend to protest their candidate losing last fall's presidential election.   This story resembles the attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump two years ago, but there are key differences, writes Teixeira. Trump provoked the U.S. Capitol attack, whereas Bolsonaro is not even in Brazil, having flown to Florida the day before his opponent, Lula da Silva, was sworn into office.   And whereas Trump has not stopped pushing the "Big Lie" of a stolen election, Bolsonaro has remained mostly mum as his supporters have advanced the idea of a fraudulent election in Brazil.   So, why did the mob invade the Brazilian Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court, asks Teixeira, the author of "Brazil, the United States, and the South American Subsystem: Regional Politics and the Absent Empire"?   "Their goal seems to have been to create enough chaos to instigate Brazil's military to intervene and reinstall Bolsonaro as president," he writes.   It's a plausible scenario since Bolsonaro is a former army captain who presided over a country with a little over three decades of democracy and a history of military coups. Bolsonaro is also known to enjoy sympathy among certain factions in the Brazilian military.   One crucial difference is that, unlike during Brazil's previous coup in 1964, this time the military would not enjoy the support of the United States.   Read Teixeira's op-ed here.   Not subscribed to The Hill's Top Opinions? Sign up here. MORE TOP OPINIONS The 55th Speaker: Kevin McCarthy is no Nancy Pelosi — and that's a good thing By JONATHAN TURLEY, Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University The Framers saw the House as a powerful forum to address factions in society, a legislative crucible where different interests could be expressed and resolved in majoritarian compromise. The legislative process can inform citizens while exposing legislative proposals to public scrutiny. But that process has been largely replaced with a series of robotic, preordained votes. 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CARROLL, senior fellow for national security and inclusive governance at the Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy While I did not agree with many of Speaker Pelosi's policy proposals, I recognize the importance of her public service and that those proposals came from a place of caring and goodwill. When one Catholic American succeeds in seeking to advance policies of inclusivity, compassion and openness in American public life, it is good for all Catholic Americans.  Read the op-ed here On the anniversary of Jan. 6, misinformation poses a greater danger than ever By RUSSEL HONORE, retired general who led review of Capitol security following Jan. 6 attack Misinformation poses more threats than individual acts of violence, however. Seeing an opportunity after the 2016 and 2020 elections, America's adversaries now have even more incentive to spread propaganda across social media to fracture and weaken our society. Read the op-ed here QUICK TAKES Political correctness could cost Democrats the White House in 2024   Mr. Biden's box-check visit to a humanitarian crisis   This just in: A lot of news really is 'fake'   Death of the crypto formula Stay Engaged The Hill's Top Opinions is written by Daniel Allott, an opinion editor at The Hill and the author of "On the Road in Trump's America: A Journey Into the Heart of a Divided Nation."   Views expressed by contributors are theirs and not the opinion of The Hill.   Check out The Hill's Opinion section online for the latest. Interested in submitting an op-ed? Click here. If you find this newsletter useful, please consider recommending it to others: thehill.com/opinion.  Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  Sign Up for Other Newsletters 1625 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 © 1998 - 2022 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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