Brazil

countrynation state

Brazil  link () Sourcewatch Wikiquote
Location	South America
Leader	President of Brazil
Type	nation state
Very large and not particularly populous country which has made a priority of biofuels.

For the 1985 dystopian film entitled Brazil, see Brazil (film).

Brazil is the largest nation state in South America. In 2013, it was #10 in the world in terms of military expenditure.

Deep state

Full article: Brazil/Deep state

2016 Olympics

On 21 July 2016, Brazil arrested 10 people "suspected of belonging to a poorly organized group supporting Islamic State".

Brazil "plans to deploy about 85,000 soldiers, police and other security personnel during the Rio Games, more than twice as many in place for the London Olympics in 2012."

COVID-19

Full article: COVID-19

In September 2021, Pfizer has been accused of holding Brazil “to ransom” over demands to shield itself from possible vaccine side-effect lawsuits.

Sabotage of space program

Since the 1980s, Brazil has been working on the construction of a national rocket capable of putting satellites into orbit. In 1997, the first prototype of the Satellite Launch Vehicle (VLS-1) was tested. It exploded a few seconds after takeoff. In 1999, another test and another explosion. On the third attempt, on August 22, 2003, there was no time for the countdown to begin. The rocket exploded three days before launch, when it was being prepared at the Alcântara base. The third explosion killed 21 highly specialized technicians and engineers, setting the Brazilian program back 10 years.

The Air Force command investigated and concluded that the accident was caused by an electrical failure. The problem is that the official report didn't convince everyone.

The Alcântara base is considered the best spaceport in the world in geographic location. As it is close to the equator, it saves up to 30% of rocket fuel. As the United States owns most of the lucrative commercial satellite launch market, they tried in 2001 to reach an agreement to “rent” the Brazilian base for their launches, but was shelved as a violation of national sovereignty. According to the treaty, Brazil would cede areas of Alcântara for the exclusive use of the USA without allowing any access by Brazilians.

The Brazilian military also carried out a survey on foreigners registered in hotels in São Luis. Around 20 Americans were staying in Alcântara that week, something unusual in the small town.

Less than a week after the explosion in Alcântara, the sabotage thesis was highlighted by the journalist Cláudio Humberto. On August 27, Ronaldo Schlichting, a space race researcher and weapons expert, was asked for his opinion. The article said: "Schlichting suggests bullet from a Barret .50 rifle, which reaches 3 kilometers, as a possible 'rocket object impact'." The next day, another article referenced to sabotage, this time in the words of a professor at the Aeronautics Technological Center. “Scientist Edison Bittencourt denies 'spontaneous ignition' in one of the four engines of the rocket that exploded in Alcântara. He suggests an electromagnetic wave fired from space or from a small device, inserted into the motor and controlled from a distance”, wrote the columnist.

Diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks revealed that the United States has long tried to hinder the Brazilian program. One of the telegrams, dated 2009, tells that the US government pressured Ukrainian authorities to block the development of the joint Brazil-Ukraine project for the deployment of the Cyclone-4 rocket launch pad – made in Ukraine – at Alcântara. The US message was clear. The mission in Brasilia should communicate to the Ukrainian ambassador, Volodymyr Lakomov, that the US “does not want” any transfer of space technology to Brazil.

2022–2023 Brazilian election protests

Full article: 2022–2023 Brazilian election protests

After an election of dubious integrity, Jair Bolsonaro lost to Lula da Silva, and was set to hand over governing power on New Years Day, only for the supporters to storm the parliamentary buildings, including congress, the Brazilian Supreme Court and the Presidential Palace of Planalto resulting in $1m damage and 88 wounded citizens.

Universal surveillance

In August 2025, Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies has advanced a bill which outlines mandatory rules for digital platforms operating in Brazil, moved forward at an unusually fast pace. Marketed as a "child protection" measure, digital platforms must verify users' ages - effectively ending online anonymity for millions - take down material labeled offensive to minors, and comply with orders from a newly created federal oversight authority.