Happy Dog Takes on the World: Brazil

The news coming out of Brazil recently challenges the truism that “there is no such thing as bad publicity.” On June 17, fewer than 50 days before the start of the 2016 Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro has declared a “state of public calamity” as the country struggles to prepare for the games. This Olympic-sized commitment comes at the time of prolonged financial crisis for Brazil that may see the county soon unable to fund basic public services. If the government does not act, Rio’s governor, Francisco Dornelles, has gone as far as to describe “a total collapse in public security, health, education, mobility and environmental management.” The first half of 2016 saw impeachment charges successfully brought against democratically elected President Dilma Rousseff, exposing deep corruption impeded in the country’s political system that weakens the state’s effectiveness and legitimacy. The outbreak of the Zika virus also threatens to ravage the country's population.

Is there hope for Brazil to resolve its present set of crises? Join The City Club of Cleveland, the Cleveland Council on World Affairs, International Partners in Mission, and the Northeast Ohio Consortium for Middle Eastern Studies (NOCMES) for the answers.