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Donate Volunteer Can't see the images? View this message online. Photos by Andrew Kaen and Sal Romano 11 Days of Global Unity Creating a Culture of Peace Celebrating a Sustainable Future September 11 - 21 Culminating on the International Day of Peace Dear Friends, We are excited to invite you to be part of the 5th Annual Celebration of 11 Days of Global Unity Sept. 11-21! 11 Days is an annual worldwide promotion of peace, justice, sustainability and transformation that now includes more than 700 associated events in over 60 countries around the world. It culminates on September 21st, the U.N. International Day of Peace which itself has literally thousands of events in over 100 countries. Use this guide to find out who's doing what in your corner of the world. And we encourage you to post your September peace, sustainability and transformation activities to the Global Unity Calendar (www.GlobalUnityCalendar.org). It's free! Please link back to the calendar and/or www.WeTheWorld.org We, The World's Leading Allied Organizations taking part in 11 Days of Global Unity and the International Day of Peace (followed by selected descriptions) Sponsors of Multiple Events Around the World (see also www.GlobalUnityCalendar.org) Earthdance The September Concert International Day of Peace Vigil International Day of Peace (Overview) Peace One Day Hello From My Heart Pathways To Peace Week of Global Interfaith Dialogue The United Religions Initiative World Peace Prayer Society Interdependence Day - Sept. 12 Sponsors of Multiple Events in One Region One Peace/11 Days Season of Interfaith Celebration - Michigan, USA Unity Village 11 Days Celebration - Missouri, USA The Association for Global New Thought - Michigan, USA Coalition For One Voice World Shift to Peace Festival - New York City Central Iowa 11 Days of Global Unity - Iowa, USA Starshine Academy 11 Days of Peace - Arizona, USA Sponsors of Special Single Events Ecofest - New York City, USA Vigil for International Peace - New York City, USA Roots & Shoots Day of Peace - Los Angeles, USA 11th Annual Student Observance of the IDP @ the United Nations Media Participants Video Message of Peace by U.N. Sec. Gen. Ban Ki-moon about the International Day of Peace (on Cyber School Bus) WBAI Pacifica Radio World Peace Emerging Magazine Good News Broadcast To Touch the Soul Documentary The Sacred Run, the Lotus and the Feather Film Global Campaigns Peace Alliance - Dept. of Peace Campaign Peace Partnership International - Dept. of Peace 10 Million Clicks For Peace Campaign Campaign 2020 Pass It On Student Mentoring Movement Now Is The Time Campaign Better World Campaign September Eleventh Families For Peaceful Tomorrows - Promoting Nonviolent Solutions in Iraq Federation of World Peace and Love - Global Endorsement of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of World Citizens If we inadvertently omitted your group's major participation in 11 Days, please let us know. We apologize! 11 Days of Global Unity Major Participant Descriptions www.earthdance.org September 13th Worldwide with over 300 locations Leading Participant in 11 Days of Global Unity Earthdance, the Global Dance Festival for Peace has grown to become the world's largest simultaneous music and dance event. Founded in 1996, with 22 cities and 18 countries participating, Earthdance has grown to over 300 locations in 60 countries participating in 2007, with locations ranging from the club-lands of New York to the rainforests of Brazil. Every year, in alignment with the International Day of Peace, over 200,000 people unite in dance with hundreds of thousands more joining online in support of global peace and humanitarian aims. The September Concert www.septemberconcert.org September 11th Worldwide with over 200 locations Leading Participant in 11 Days of Global Unity The September Concert is a global day of free concerts for peace, every September 11th, organized by individuals, schools, businesses, and associations - to bring communities together - to reaffirm our hope for peace - to celebrate life and our universal humanity The September Concert was born in 2002 on the first anniversary of 9/11. In 2007 we organized over 200 concerts with more than 3,000 performers. In addition to 119 concerts in New York, 42 US cities hosted concerts as well as 39 international cities, such as Rome, Paris, Beijing, Tokyo, Johannesburg and Casablanca. Concerts took place on many continents, including Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. Week of Global Interfaith Dialogue www.gflp.org September 15-21 Worldwide Leading Participant in 11 Days of Global Unity The sixth annual Week of Global Interfaith Dialogue will take place around the world from September 15-21. On one day during this week individuals and organizations are encouraged to share the values common to all religions. These are some of the countries that are expected to participate in the Dialogues: Iran, India, Israel, Jordan, Pakistan, Mozambique, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Australia, Taiwan, Finland, the Philippines, the UK, and in many locations in the United States. For more info see http://www.gflp.org Hello From My Heart Campaign www.HelloFromMyHeart.com September 11th through September 21st Worldwide in over 115 nations Leading Participant in 11 Days of Global Unity On the first "Hello, From My Heart." Day (in 2002) over 750,000 people throughout Tampa Bay (in Florida in the USA). greeted or were greeted with the words: "Hello, From My Heart." Newspapers, radio & television stations, many area businesses and church congregations participated. In 2006, our greetings were exchanged in 30 nations globally and 40 states of the USA. To date, 22 million people have been reached with a "Hello, From My Heart" greeting. (9/11 thru 9/21) They came from 115 nations. We have measurably demonstrated that we can reduce violent crime. This is your invitation to participate in a way that can and will change the World. >From September 11th - 21st, greet everyone we meet (or speak with on the phone) with a smile and the words; "Hello, From My Heart." ONEpersonONEworldONEpeace 11 Days of Global Unity A Season of Interfaith Celebration www.onepeace.us www.11daysofunity.org September 11th through September 21st Michigan, USA Leading Participant in 11 Days of Global Unity The ONE PEACE Sept 21st event at Eastern Michigan University's Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, MI. will take place from 1 - 5 p.m. Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne, from Sri Lanka will lead us in meditations and dialogue. Our special guests include Michael Bernard Beckwith & Rickie Byars Beckwith from the Agape International Spiritual Center. 10,000 people are expected. September 21st Los Angeles, California www.RootsandShoots.org Leading Participant in 11 Days of Global Unity On Sept 21, 2008 youth organizations from all over California will get together in Griffith Park from 11am to 4pm to celebrate all they have been doing to create peace. There will be live music,art&crafts and a giant peace dove parade. Roots & Shoots has participated in 11 Days of Global Unity since Jane Goodall was Honorary Co-Chair of the launch in 2004. ECOFEST September 28th Lincoln Center in New York City www.ecofest.org Leading Participant in 11 Days of Global Unity ECOFEST is turning 20 in 2008! Launched as an environmental event where people would get information, get involved, find products, learn about services and be entertained by people who care about the environment. As many as 15,000 people attend ECOFEST each year. A major focus of ECOFEST is conservation of our natural resources and innovative alternative-energy technologies. This yearÕs ECOFEST will again feature the SEOTO (Sources of Energy Other Than Oil) Alternative Fuels Display. In addition to the SEOTO Display, ECOFEST regular features include the World Solar Stage with performers such as Blacksmith, Traci Mann Tap Dance Company and the ECOFASHION SHOW presenting collections made of 100% organic and recycled material. The ECOFEST ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE offers free seminars where key environmental issues are discussed with renowned experts. Vigil for International Peace www.vigil4internationalpeace.org September 14th 2008 9am to 5pm Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York City Leading Participant in 11 Days of Global Unity The Vigil for International Peace is a transformational effort dedicated to promulgate peace through music, art, poetry, dance and prayer. The purpose of this Vigil is to awaken humanity to harmony and peace through the power of intent and celebration. Our vision is to heal and bridge our lives and communities to achieve alignment and recognize the oneness in all. At 9:00 am the Opening Ceremony Prayer and Blessing initates the day. This will be followed by a special program of musical presentations, song, dance, interactive art and peace meditations. www.coalitionforonevoice.org Coalition For One Voice World Shift to Peace Festival Presented in association with One Spirit' Learning Alliance September 19th, 20th and 21st with Matthew Fox each day plus many others at the Sept. 20th Festival Sept 19th - Cosmic Mass 7-9PM Sept 20th Festival 1PM-5:30PM Both days @ 4th Universalist Society Central Park West and 76th St. in Manhattan Sept 21st 2-4:30PM @ East West Books 48 Fifth Ave at 14th St. in Manhattan, New York City for preregistration: http://worldshift2peacefestival.eventbrite.com INTERDEPENDENCE DAY Co-Existence or No Existence www.wetheworld.org/wtw2/interdependence/index.php4 September 12 Annually In proclaiming Interdependence Day, we are acknowledging that we are all connected, and that when one thread in the web of life is sundered, all are diminished. Where equity and mutual respect prevail, all benefit. Interdependence Day is a day of celebration, information and action. In September 2002 We, The World launched Interdependence Day at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development at the Sacred Place in Ubuntu Village. Since the launch, Co-Sponsors' Interdependence Day activities have taken place in Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, India, Budapest, the United States, Canada, England, South Africa, Taiwan and elsewhere. We, The World/Interdependence Day collaborators CivWorld and The Democracy Collaborative produced a special program in Philadelphia which featured a presentation of the Declaration of Interdependence, the premiere of a choral work, greetings from the Mayor of Rome, then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and former Czech president Vaclav Havel, plus remarks by former Senator Gary Hart, a tribute by distinguished poet Sonia Sanchez.and many other prominent individuals. Since September 2004 Interdependence Day has become a major part of 11 Days of Global Unity. Interdependence Day is a time for celebration, information and action in recognition of our global interdependence! Add your Interdependence Day activities to the Global Unity Calendar (www.GlobalUnityCalendar.org) now! You Make The Difference Please spread the word about all this, especially to the media, so more people will be able to see that the transformative "shift" (to peace and sustainability) is not only possible, it's happening! And to make sure the shift happens fast enough so we all have a Livable Future, please support your favorite organizations listed here, especially We, The World! (www.WeTheWorld.org/donate) Thank you!   You Make The Difference Please spread the word about all this, especially to the media, so more people will be able to see that the transformative "shift" (to peace and sustainability) is not only possible, it's happening! Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu speaks about Global Interdependence for 11 Days of Global Unity. Watch the video. Global Unity Calendar Add YOUR Events, Campaigns and Announcements for Peace, Sustainability and Transformation! Be A Sponsor Be A Supporter For a Livable Future! Your support now will make it possible for us to reach record numbers of people this year with programs that inspire, inform and galvanize people to tak action. Your support will also help us to expand the "local action, global participation" organizing model of 11 Days to four times a year! Photo by Andrew Kaen Join Jane Goodall Sign the Declaration of Interdependence! Photo by Darren Miller Award created by Narayan de Vera Arun Gandhi receives Heart of Humanity Award from We, The World at Earthdance during 11 Days of Global Unity 2006 on the 100th Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's first nonviolent peace campaign in South Africa. The award was given in recognition of the Gandhi Family's 100 years of work for Satyagraha (Nonviolence). Who was behind the original idea that became the 11 Days of Global Unity? Rick Ulfik & Troy Lush Board members of We, The World. Now Is The Time Campaign Now Is The Time is a song written by WTW Board Member Troy Lush. It is also a media campaign that disseminates the song and phrase Now Is The Time throughout many sectors of global culture, directing people to existing organizations and causes where they can take immediate, tangible action. 11th Annual student observance of the International Day of Peace @ the U.N. Friday, 19th September 2008 The satellite video-conference event, from 10:00 am Ð 1:00 pm (New York time), will bring together about 600 middle and high school students at United Nations Headquarters with others at participating sites in United Nations peacekeeping missions around the world. Dr. Jane Goodall and/or other U.N. Messengers of Peace will be in attendance. Middle and high school Teachers are invited to register themselves and their students before Sept. 10th. Please send each participantÕs name and the contact information for each group to: acostay@un.org and ndolo@un.org. Seating will be on a first come first serve basis. View last yearÕs event Pass It On Student Mentoring Movement empowering young people to have the experience of making a positive difference in others' lives. To Touch the Soul - Screenings during the 11 Days in New York City! This award-winning documentary produced by Teresa Hagen is about Professor Carlos Silveira and a group of American Art Students in a pilot program to use drawing and painting with impoverished children in Cambodia. Through art, these children express their wishes and desires for their futures. Check the Calendar for details. Better World Campaign Offering free resources for students, teachers, communities, activists and organizations to create a better world! U.N. Sec. Gen. Ban Ki-moon speaks about the International Day of Peace Watch the Message of Peace video (on Cyber School Bus)

Henrique de Campos Meirelles trained as a civil engineer at the University of Sao Paulo and got an MBA from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. He also did Advanced Management at Harvard Business School.
He worked with Bank Boston and FleetBoston Financial. He is Chairman of the Brazilian Association of International Banks, and of the Society for the Revitalization of the City of Sao Paulo. In January 2003 he became President of the Central Bank of Brazil. He spoke at a breakfast of the Brazilian American Chamber of Commerce, on Monday August 18, 2008, and dealt with “Recent Macroeconomic Developments in Brazil.”

A man of his background seems the appropriate person to deal with the financial matters of a country on the move - as we are sure that he can review not just the financial implications of development, and the interaction with the foreign banks which he has a track record of serving in past years, but also have the understanding of the engineering tools being used in the development process, and what these mean for our changing world.

Above introduction is simply because we are the Sustainable Development Media Think Tank, and we feel that - yes oil reserves can fuel the growth of Brazil - but then Brazil is in the forefront of the alternatives also, and in this changing world it would be foolish to push on the oil pedals, when the long term future is - better stay put on oil as a commodity and use it rather as a primary material for higher value goods. We kept our ears open to see what the gentleman was going to recommend, if anything. we were quite happy with what I could glean from his presentation. He obviously did not go into details, but spoke on generalities - government economists never say things that could have a political meaning like what we do with the need to decrease dependence on oil. We know this and had thus to find deeper meaning in these generalities.

July 21, 2008, Newsweek quoted Meireless: “CENTRAL BANK OF BRAZIL IN NEW YORK:”

“Today, Latin America’s largest economy has the lowest inflation of any emerging market, and it is one of the only countries worldwide where price rises haven’t surpassed official targets. The credit belongs largely to Henrique Meirelles … The country has reduced sovereign debt in terms of its shares of gross domestic product, and the Central Bank has built up $200 billion in international reserves. Brazil is also showing it can grow, but with stable inflation.”

The August 18 presentation was an update, and among those on the 170 names on the attendance list, there were members of many different interest groups - banks, investment and capital firms - even an investor in films and that reminded me of the Brazil Filmfest that just ended, lawyers, academics, al sorts of media, Realty, Brazilian State Governments, Engineering companies, a firm that had a name like a Latin wine, Metals industry… Many of them probably trying to figure out if, when, or how to invest in Brazil.

Meirelles started by saying that Brazil faced several decades of credit problems, either fiscal, balance of payment problems, and/or inflation as a result. External demand had to be slowed down. Employment decreased during the last part of the 90s at 200,000/year. In 1995 there was a loss of 160,000 jobs. This year, in the first half of the year, there were 1.9 million new jobs. Normally, by the end of the year the numbers are lowest for the year - now it looks like that this year this will not be the case.

Looking at the figures for Sales - based on Payroll and Credit we see a continuing growth in the internal market - and this is our attention to the robustness of development. We find thus that the statements regarding growth that Mr. Meirelles made, seem solid in terms of the continuing increase of the ranks of a middle class in Brazil - the guarantee for the future of the Nation.

Industrial Output is growing, so are the Real Payrolls, and as a result also Import Volumes are growing.

Business Confidence runs now at a steady 63% and with a GDP growth at 5.8%, the Growth in Investment is at 15.0%. Quite respectable figures. Wholesale Price Inflation for June 2008 on a 12 mo. trailing basis was 13% for manufactured goods as well as in agriculture 13%, but considering the Consumer Price Index (CPI) this was iend of June 2008, based on 12 mo. trailing index 6.37%, but when excluding food and fuel, it is only 5.70%.

The Real Interest Rate that used to average 18.4% in the 1996-1999 years, is down now to 8.4% for the 2006-2008 years. it was lower February-June 2008 and has increased to about 10% in July, but the inflation expectation for the rest of the year, and for 2009, are for lowering inflation. The Market Consensus is that for 2008 the Inflation Expectation is 6.44% - lowering to 5.00% in 2009 and stabilizing 20010-2012 at 4.5%. This is the target level.

The International Reserves, the Net External Debt, and External Vulnerability curves are as follows and they lead to a quite optimistic Summary.

Jim Morin / Miami Herald (August 20, 2008)

Our two previous postings on the subject of the Brazilian Film Festival were as we mention bellow. This posting is intended as a summary and evaluation. We feel entitled to post such an article on www.SustainabiliTank.info because we clearly view the evolution of this young Brazilian film industry as part of the country’s progress towards sustainable development.

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Brazilian Film comes to New York; Introduced by Maria Rita in Concert in Central Park, New York - Movies at Tribeca Cinemas.

Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on August 8th, 2008
by Pincas Jawetz ( PJ at SustainabiliTank.com)

Maria Rita in Concert in Central Park, New York and Bossa Nova Memories: Movies at Tribeca Cinemas and an Upcoming Event at the UN. The Progress of Brazil.

Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on August 12th, 2008
by Pincas Jawetz ( PJ at SustainabiliTank.com)

OK, The event at the Dag Hammarskjold library in the UN basement, and the movies we saw at the Tribeca Cinemas, proved the point that Brazil is not just a producer of music and soccer geniuses, but in effect a whole new generation was set loose by the political and economic progress that the country is making. We clearly found from the content of the movies that the dry time of generals-in-command is now seen as just a temporary stage in the country’s history.

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The opening party was in the bar at the Tribeca Cinemas - that was renamed for the occasion “LOUNGE PETROBRAS.”

The Brazilian Film Festival is a registered name for the “Circuito Infinito de Festivais” or a continuing traveling trade show that defines itself by: “the focal point of the Infinito Group is the cultural promotion and diffusion of Brazilian artistic productions abroad.” Claudia Dutra is the manager of this effort, and they have been to: Canudos, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Miami, Milan, Rome, New York, Vancouver, and Barcelona. In New York they are presented by the National Petroleum Company - Petrobras - under the name - VI Festival Petrobras De Cinema Brasileiro De Nova York - Infinito Foundation 2008.

In effect this is indeed a tour of goodwill, out of which Brazil hopes not only to enhance the World interest in Brazilian movies, but also in Brazilian culture in general, tourism, and investments. For one thing, the great gift Brazil has in its nature and beaches makes for perfect sites for filming and thus, among other material I picked up, I was not surprised to find also:

And Embratur made sure we have all the information one needs to plan a visit to Brazil - “Brasil Sensational!” Guide for Tourism Professional” - that includes three different 21- day itineraries and complete information about the best beaches, cultural sites and events and the 19 UNESCO World Heritage sites of Brazil.

The festival program:

Out of these films I saw “Out of Time” (“Os Desafinados”) that was the Sunday August 10, 2008 opening movie at the Maria Rita concert in Central Park, and also the last movie on closing day. We wrote about the movie in our reporting on the concert;

The movie at the UN was “The House of Tom - Mundo, Monde, Mondo” - a documentary and memorial - the celebration of the life of Tom Jobim directed by his widow, Ana Jobim;

“Boda de Papel” or “Paper Wedding” at the Monday opening, and because I was not able to stay to the end that evening, I returned on Thursday night - in effect I incorporated that movie also in the previous reporting;

“Panair do Brasil” - a documentary/memorial to an airline that was closed by order of generals who declared it bankrupt, even though it was neither short of cash, nor short of enormous wealth;

“What Ever Happened to Dulce Veiga” - a movie of camp culture - very beautiful and different from the other movies;

“5 Pieces of Almost a Story” that I actually did not see, but had a long conversation with a friend that saw it and thought this to have been the most interesting in human terms - it was in effect a collection of 5 shorts about the life of ordinary people and how they reacted to unordinary events. It turned out that these pieces showed that these simple ordinary people where not passive to what goes on, and in their ways stood up against perceived injustice.

So, I can say that I speak here about 6 full length events out of the 14 that were offered. My reaction to the material shown, to my amazement, I found a common line - and that line was political.

All 6 movies dealt with things that had to do with events that were started, or happened, at the time the generals ruled Brazil. We learned that there was once a freer Brazil, when the great music of the Bossa Nova was started, the Brazilian soccer team won the World Cup, Panair was indeed in the air, and people were happy. Then there was a military coup in Brazil another one in Argentina - and people got harmed, some disappeared, and even an airline was pushed under. The movies were not made in anger, they simply played an ode to the older better days, from the angle of standing now in a place that has promise again. The US was a country they looked up to - and they do also today - but there are hints of unfairness. These people now are self confident and do not live from nursing on the negatives from the past. Yes, all these movies have a nostalgia to times before generals and the US acted to stop that potential growth. There is a hint to communism (In What Happened to Dulce Vega)’ there is a hint to the suspicious American concierge, not exactly McCarthy, but very much a McCarthy type - that made sure the musicians in “Os Definados” are sent back to Brazil - she did not want a commune in her New York house. The days were not bad only for the Brazilians, but also for the Americans.

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The realization that there is a political undertone in this unifying line of the new Brazilian cinema, convinced me that our kind of review I like to keep alive on www.SustainabiliTank.info, needs some political background to the history of Brazil. So here we come:

Brazil: Population estimate - (2007) - 189,335,000
Total area: (sq mi) 3,287,612, or (sq km) 8,514,877

chief of state: President Luiz Inacio “Lula” DA SILVA (since 1 January 2003);

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We will start history from 1930 - that is from the time of the Great Depression in the US and the shadow it spread out  all the way to Brazil. We start with Getulio Vargas.

Unsuccessful in his bid for the presidency in 1930, Vargas led a revolt that overthrew the government. Over the next 15 years, he effected massive transformations in the public and private sectors.

Vargas was a mixture of Mussolini and FDR. Between 1934 and 1945, Brazilian populism was a surprisingly reactionary phenomenon, exhibiting remarkable parallels to European fascism. He came up with his own fascist-influenced idea of an Estado Novo regime.

Today he is the hero of left wing activists and politicians, but his secret police brutally tortured communists in the 30s. Olga was a German communist jewess who met and married the Communist Party chief, Luís Carlos Prestes in Russia, and returned with him to bring the joys of Stalinism to Brazil. Prestes - who lived to be a ripe old age, is best known for a long march undertaken in the 30s, traveling thousands of kilometers and holding off government forces and proving that most people did not care for either Vargas or Prestes. What happened to Olga? She was captured by Vargas’ police and shipped back to Nazi Germany. She died in a concentration camp, but not before delivering a baby girl, that eventually became a university professor in Rio.

The Getulio Vargas style was authoritarian, and his appeal populist: unionization, industrialization, and social welfare programs gained him the working - and middle-class backing. He was similar to what we are more familiar with - the Argentinean Peronism. Vargas gave support to the Allies during World War II, specially in search for German submarines, and Brazil became a founding Nation of the UN. As World War II ended with Brazil participating on the Allied side, President Getúlio Vargas moved to liberalize his own fascist-influenced regime. Vargas decreed an amnesty to the political prisoners, including the chief of the Communist Party. Nevertheless, his popularity declined as democratic sentiment grew.

In 1945 he was ousted by the army. The Estado Novo ended when two of the most rightist supporters, the Minister of War Pedro Aurélio de Góis Monteiro and Eurico Gaspar Dutra, led a military coup on October 29, 1945. The president of the Supreme Federal Tribunal, José Linhares was inaugurated as president of Brazil. Linhares guaranteed free and regular elections. Vargas was forced to take a temporary retirement. General Eurico Gaspar Dutra was elected president and served from 1946 to 1950 when Vargas returned to power. His second turn of holding power ended in 1954.

Vargas’ government, hoping to ensure domestic control of key industries, spearheaded a host of nationalistic policies as a result of the lessons from the Great Depression of the 1930s. It took ownership of some of the country’s largest companies, usually in partnership with one or more local or foreign corporations, and subsequently sold stock to private investors. The government’s growing involvement in the industrial sector was criticized for promoting political and social objectives rather than economic ones, and for its cumbersome and inefficient bureaucracy; however, some industries attributed their successes to government measures, which included direct investments, tax and other incentives, protective tariffs, and import restrictions. His government initiated several key industries, including a modern shipbuilding program.

Vargas returned to politics in 1950 to win the presidential elections as the candidate of the Brazilian Labor Party (Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro), taking office on January 31 1951. By 1954, Vargas faced opposition from the National Democratic Union and the military. The murder of Major Rubens Vaz, an associate of opposition newspaper editor Carlos Lacerda, by some of the president’s bodyguards, known as the crime of “Rua Tonelero”, led to a reaction against Vargas. Army generals demanded his resignation. After failing to negotiate a temporary leave of absence, the isolated Vargas shot himself on August 24 1954. But whatever Getulio Vargas did there was a Vargas’ ever-shifting populist dictatorship that helped to reign in the agrarian oligarchs, thus paving the way for the democratization of the 1950s and 1960s which was ended by the right-wing 1964 military coup.

Vargas return to power as President in 1950 was in a reasonably democratica election, but his second tenure was beset with scandals and economic difficulties.

Vargas’s tenure marked the start of modern industrialization for Brazil. A petrochemical sector was established led by the huge Petrobrás company (created in 1953), a burgeoning microelectronics and personal computer industry, and aircraft manufacturing by the Embraer corporation, including commercial jetliners, aviation and surveillance equipment, and aircraft for the Brazilian air force. It established a motor vehicle industry in the 1950s to replace U.S. and German imports and assembly plants. For a period during the late 20th century, manufacturing accounted for the largest segment of the gross domestic product (GDP) before it was overtaken by the service sector.

From 1954 we jump to 1956 when Juscelino Kubitschek wins the presidency (1956-1961). Campaigning on a platform of “fifty years of progress in five”, Kubitschek sought to achieve this progress with the aid of foreign investment, which in turn would be given generous incentives, such as profit remittances, low taxes, privileges for the importation of machinery, and donations of land. This influx of capital rapidly conquered domestic industry, unable to compete with the greater efficiency and expertise of foreign capital. Domestic manufacturers, once the core base of support for economic nationalism, were idly contented to become managers or partners of the multinationals. The urban bourgeoisie—the original base of Vargas’ coalition—had little use for Brazilian populism any more, having outgrown state planning and having lost its autonomy. In a sense, Brazilian populism was a victim of its own success, fostering a middle class that would soon find state control threatening rather than protective.

The most notable manifestation of the nationalistic aspirations of the Kubitschek’s was the construction of Brasília, Brazil’s ultra-modern capital.

He was followed by João Goulart (1961-64)—a protégé of Getúlio Vargas and another gaúcho from Rio Grande do Sul, the closeness of the government to the historically disenfranchised working class and peasantry and even to the Communist Party led by Luís Carlos Prestes was equally remarkable. Goulart appeared to have been co-opting the Communist movement in a manner reminiscent of Vargas’ co-optation of the Integralists shortly—and not coincidentally—before his ouster by reactionary forces.

Eventually, the 1964 junta and the ensuing military dictatorship proved that the establishment forces that ushered Goulart’s mentor into power in the first place, and the bourgeoisie that Vargas helped rear, found the left-leaning turn of Brazilian populism intolerable.

Actually, after Kubitschek’s retirement, the elected president was Jânio Quadros, a right-wing figure who based his electoral campaign on criticizing Kubitschek and his followers of PDT for being corrupt. Quadros’ slogan was a broom, with which the president would “sweep the corruption”.

In his brief tenure as president, Quadros made moves to resume relations with some communist countries. He also instituted some unusual laws, the most notable being one that banned bikinis from the beaches of Rio de Janeiro.

In the last days of August 1961, Quadros resigned from the presidency. The situation was very unusual, since the vice-president, João Goulart, at that time was outside the country in a mission visiting Asia. Some military chiefs tried to prevent the nomination of Goulart as a president, accusing him of being communist. (Goulart was directly linked to worker’s parties and associations.) The crisis was solved by what would be called “parliamentarism solution”: the parliamentary system was implemented to reduce Goulart’s powers as president, placating the military officials.

João Goulart was forced to shift well to the left of his mentor Getúlio Vargas, and was forced to mobilize the working class and even the peasantry amid falling urban bourgeois support. The core of Brazilian populism—economic nationalism—simply was no longer that appealing to the middle classes. Mild structural reforms under Goulart cumulated in the watershed 1964 military junta supported by a “dependent bourgeoisie” that restored the same acceptance of neocolonial dependency that Vargas, however conservative, had attempted to overcome. Effectively, this political crisis stemmed from the specific way in which the political tensions of Brazilian development had been controlled in the 1930s and 1940s under the fascist Estado Novo.

Vargas’ dictatorship and the presidencies of his democratic successors marked different stages of the broader era of Brazilian populism (1930-1964), an era of economic nationalism, state-guided modernization, and import substitution trade policies. Vargas’ policies were intended to transform Brazil into a capitalistic First World nation by linking industrialization to nationalism, a formula based on a strategy of reconciling the conflicting interests of the middle class, foreign capital, the working class, and the fazendeiros. The landed gentries—the formidable forces of the old order, were won over by the lack of structural changes (agrarian reforms) under Vargas.

Essentially, this was the epic of the rise and fall of Brazilian populism from 1930 to 1964: Brazil witnessed over the course of this time period the change from export-orientation of the Old Republic (1889-1930) to the import substitution of the populist era (1930-1964) and then to the dominance of the multinationals of the neoliberal era (1964-present). Each of these structural changes forced a realignment of class forces and opened up a period of political crisis. The 1964 coup also ended a cycle in Brazilian history that began with Vargas’ 1930 Revolution, a now bygone era marked by the marriage of middle class aspirations, nationalism, and state-guided modernization in Latin America. A period of right-wing military dictatorship marked the transition between this era and the current period of re-democratization.

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The Army could not find a civilian politician acceptable to all of the factions that supported the ouster of João Goulart. On April 15, 1964 fifteen days after the coup, the Army Chief of Staff, Marshal Humberto de Alencar Castello Branco became the appointed president with the intention of overseeing a reform of the political-economic system. He refused to remain in power beyond the remainder of Goulart’s term or to institutionalize the military in power. However, competing demands radicalized the situation. Military hard-liners wanted a complete purge of left-wing and populist influences while civilian politicians obstructed Branco’s reforms. The latter accused him of hard-line actions to achieve his objectives, and the former accused him of leniency. He recessed and purged Congress to satisfy military hard-liners, removing objectionable state governors and decreeing the expansion of the president’s, and by extension the military’s, arbitrary powers at the expense of the legislative and judiciary branches. His gamble succeeded in giving him the latitude to repress the populist left but provided the follow-on governments of Artur da Costa e Silva (1967–69) and Emílio Garrastazu Médici (1969–74) with a legal basis for authoritarian rule.

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The fall of João Goulart resulted in a radicalization of student groups by cultural freedom and other left-wing ideologies as they began to look for alternative ways to the status quo. Unable to mobilize the apathetic lower-class Brazilians, they began to look for forms of direct action, much like the contemporary Red Army Faction in Germany.

The first signs of resistance were seen in 1968 with the appearance of widespread student protests. In response to this upsurge, the government issued Institutional Act Number Five in December 1968, which suspended habeas corpus, increased the power of the executive by shutting down the other branches of government, and declared a nationwide state of siege. Protests were suppressed with violence. The anti-military movement descended into the political underground and eventually armed action.

By the end of the decade there were twenty organizations involved in the urban guerrilla movement. The old-left, particularly in the shape of the Brazilian Communist Party, was seen as irrelevant and outdated, as Marxist-Leninist, Maoist, Trotskyist, Castroist, and all the other shades of left-wing ideology competed for the loyalty of the young militants, especially in places like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Recruitment drives were carried out in schools and universities, initially with lectures in Marxist theory. The most determined were drawn deeper into activism, some taking the decision to leave their families and go underground altogether.

According to a government-sponsored truth and reconciliation commission in 2007, by the end of the dictatorship there were at least 339 documented cases of government-sponsored political assassinations or disappearances. Countless more were questioned, tortured, and jailed.

The third military government (1969–74) led by general Emilio Garrastazu Médici and guided by directives already adopted in the previous period, intensified the transformation process of Brazil’s foreign relations. Nevertheless, as domestic politics hardened, the scope of the country’s foreign influence remained restricted.

The decreeing of Institutional Act #5 (AI-5, 1968) marked a new phase of restrictions in the country’s political freedom. The succession of kidnappings of foreign ambassadors in Brazil created embarrassments for the military government. The anti-government manifestations and the action of guerrilla movements generated an increase in repressive measures. The “ideological frontiers” of Brazilian foreign policy were reinforced. At the same time, the results of the economic policy consolidated the option for the national-development model. Because of these results, the country’s foreign economic connections were transformed, allowing its international presence to be broadened.

From 1964 to 1985, the country was ruled by a Military government, which restrained many individual rights in the name of what they called democracy (read comments to the Constitution of 1967). As we shall see, the hand of the US was in the 1964 Coup d’Etat. As we shall see these facts were revealed in 2004, when the 40 years of CIA secrecy on these issues ended.

In the mean time, In 1984, when it became clear that the Military would agree to leave the government, Brazilian population engaged in a massive campaign, trying to change the old Constitution so that the new civilian President should be elected directly by voting; this campaign became known as “Diretas Já” (Direct Now). Despite the popular movement, however, the old system was maintained, and the new President, Tancredo Neves, was elected by the votes of the Representatives in the Parliament. The facts were that though intent on negotiating their exit, the generals were not yet ready to take the needed steps. Neither did Tancredo Neves become President. He myst