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Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva greets supporters at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia.

REUTERS/Adriano Machado

Lula and the new Brazil: big plans, short honeymoon

Earlier this week, Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva completed his return from the wilderness.

After 12 rocky years out of power – which included the impeachment of his hand-picked successor, jail time for a corruption conviction that was later overturned, and a narrow election win over his nemesis Jair Bolsonaro – the left-wing former union leader was inaugurated for the third time as Brazil’s president.

The last time Lula lived at the Dawn Palace in Brasilia, from 2003-2010, he oversaw a historic transformation of the country, lifting tens of millions of people out of poverty and putting Brazil on the map as an emerging leader of the new Global South. Small wonder that he left office with an approval rating of 80%. US President Barack Obama once called him “the most popular politician on earth.”

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Is Rishi Sunak the Solution to UK’s Economic Crisis? | World In :60 | GZERO Media

Rishi Sunak vs UK economic crisis

Ian Bremmer shares his insights on global politics this week on World In 60 Seconds.

Can new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak fix the United Kingdom?

No. Fix is aggressive. Right? But can he stabilize it? I think he can move in that direction, certainly not in the next few months because you know the economic crisis is real. The hole is deep. Energy prices are massive, and the UK's not prepared for it. But the orientation of UK fiscal policy is going to be very much more in line with what the markets want. They have been punishing the UK and Liz Truss dramatically from all of these. The giveaways that were being planned, many to the rich, and none of which were going to be funded. A more constrained fiscal environment is what Rishi is going to be putting in place. Of course, the UK population may not be happy about that at all. What he can do for his own future and the Conservative Party is a much bigger hole, frankly, than where the UK is going.

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Can ‘Lula,’ the hero of Brazil’s left, unseat Bolsonaro? | GZERO World

Can ‘Lula,’ the hero of Brazil’s left, unseat Bolsonaro?

The political legend Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known to all as "Lula," is the likely challenger to Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil's 2022 presidential elections. Lula is an old acquaintance of Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Brazil's former president and elder statesman, who discussed Lula's political prospects in an interview with Ian Bremmer on GZERO World. "I know Lula very well, for a long time. And Lula, from that time on has been convinced he has a destiny to be the leader of the nation, still," said Cardoso. "I don't know now what will occur in the coming elections. He's convinced he will be he again, the candidate."

Watch the episode: Brazil on the brink

Brazil on the Brink | Former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso | GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Brazil on the brink

Latin America's largest economy has endured years of economic hardship, a barrage of political scandals, and one of the worst pandemic death tolls in the world. So where does Brazil go from here and how much longer can its president hold onto power? Former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, who remains one of the most influential political figures in the country, joins Ian Bremmer to discuss Brazil's increasingly divided society, the potential fate of its current far-right leader, the prospects of his most likely challenger (known to all as "Lula") the climate crisis in the Amazon, and the country's complicated relationship with China.

Brazil's Own King Kong vs Godzilla | PUPPET REGIME | GZERO Media

Brazil's own Godzilla vs Kong

Brazil's economy is a shambles. COVID is still raging. The Amazon is aflame. But despite all that, president Jair Bolsonaro fears only one thing: the coming clash with an old nemesis that'll make King Kong vs Godzilla look like child's play by comparison.

Watch more PUPPET REGIME!

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Lula’s Comeback Upends Brazilian Politics | Senegal's Dicey Situation | World In :60 | GZERO Media

Lula’s comeback upends Brazilian politics; Senegal's dicey situation

Ian Bremmer shares his perspective on global politics this week:

We'll start in Brazil. Will Lula run for president and seriously challenge Bolsonaro?

And the answer is, it increasingly looks that way. The Supreme Court threw out former President Lula's former conviction, saying they didn't have jurisdiction. And the court that he was actually charged, court members were surprised by this. Lula's own PT party surprised by this. It means a couple of things. One, he's much more likely to run. He's extremely popular on the left. His PT party has about 20% approval in the country. And that means that between Bolsonaro, the president, and Lula on the left, there's very little room in the center. This is going to be an incredibly contentious and polarized election, much more so than in the United States, even this past November.

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GZERO World S1E25: Fallout From A Fake Democracy

Fallout From A Fake Democracy

Nine out of every ten Venezuelans live in poverty and the average Venezuelan has lost 24 pounds in the past year alone. This is not what democracy looks like.

In this week's show, Venezuela expert Moisés Naím explains how this oil-rich country fell so far and why, as a former government official himself, he takes that personally.

+Syria Attack(?) +Lula in Jail +Orban Wins again +The Zuck Stops Here

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