Lucas Campoi. Unsplash. Baía de Guanabara, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. March 12, 2019.
2010
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The New York Times,12/31/2010
"Antônio de Aguiar Patriota, who served as ambassador to Washington under Mr. da Silva, will be charged as Ms. Rousseff’s new foreign minister with rebuilding mutual trust between the countries, 'which was badly damaged by the Iranian episode,' said Paulo Sotero, director of the Brazil Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars."
Globo News, 12/04/2010
William Waack hosts two political scientists and Brazil Institute Director Paulo Sotero to discuss the impact of the leaked State Department communications. They focus especially on the impact – including whether there was one or not – specifically for Latin America and Brazil.
CNN, 11/30/2010
"Authorities have been trying to dislodge traffickers from their hiding places for two years, but the operation in Alemao is the first time the government has tried to regain territory run by the criminals in earnest, said Paulo Sotero, director of the Brazil Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Institute for Scholars...'This is just the beginning. [Police] will have to work with people to convince them that you will not abuse their rights,' Sotero said. That is the goal of the Pacifying Police...Sotero, however, suggests that it is domestic pressure that is leading to police work. As a whole, Brazil's economy is growing, and so is the middle class. As people find themselves in better situations, they also begin to demand better quality of life, Sotero said. People want things like better education and security.'This, I think, is what created the pressure to try to find new solutions for a very old problem,'he said. The slums became dangerous places during a period when the city and state of Rio had poor government, something that was exploited during the drug boom in the 1980s, Sotero said."
Christian Science Monitor, 11/13/2010
"But despite her wide margin of victory, it doesn’t mean her presidency is going to be easy, says Paulo Sotero, director of the Brazil Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. In such a historically macho society 'where the levers of power have always been dominated' by men, he said, it 'is obviously a challenge' for Rousseff."
Paulo Sotero, Brazil Institute Director, for Politics: 2010 VOL 30(S1), 71–81, 12/2010
Rooted in democracy and economic stability and propelled by President Lula’s extraordinary popularity and assertive foreign policy, Brazil’s recent rise has allowed the country to gain a new global pre-eminence despite its failure to achieve the stated goals of its international strategy. Consolidation of the nation’s place and influence will depend as much on its ability to tackle domestic vulnerabilities, such as low competitiveness and low savings and investment rates that limit potential economic growth, as on its capacity to calibrate ambition to its position in the redistribution of international power under way in the early twenty-first century.
McClatchy, 10/31/2010
"'Lula is the genuine popular leader,' said Paulo Sotero, director of the Brazil Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center. He said in addition to his importance to the working class, 'businesses are not complaining. Bankers are not complaining. And Rousseff is the beneficiary of this'...Sotero said that Lula's initial success and much of his support cannot be explained by populism. His closeness to Rousseff during the campaign needs to be watched. He said that one question is whether Lula remains and "extends his power through Rousseff. Sotero said that 'would diminish him as a historic figure and complicate things for Rousseff.'"
AcheiUSA, 10/08/2010
"O primeiro a falar foi Sotero, que minimizou as chances de Serra virar a eleição no segundo turno. 'É até possível, mas improvável', disse. Ele acredita que o fato de Dilma não ter conseguido ser eleita no dia 3 de outubro foi um baque para o governo, pois mostrou que o presidente Lula não transferiu tantos votos para sua candidata quanto pensava que faria. 'E infelizmente os dois candidatos não devem motivar o eleitor, especialmente no exterior, a voltar às urnas', lamentou Sotero.'"
The Daily Maverick,10/06/2010
"Or listen to Paulo Sotero, director of the Brazil Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Centre, a leading think-tank in Washington, DC, when he said, 'Lula was the first common man to come to power in what is a very unequal society.'"
Virgilio Notizie, 10/06/2010
"Contrary to what many think, 'I do not believe that Lula will be back on stage in four years.' said to Apcom, Paulo Sotero, Brazilian economist and writer, among the most anticipated guests of the Festival Internationale this weekend in Ferrara. 'Lula is an international superstar, his charisma, abroad and among lower middle class Brazilians, is indisputable. 'He is like a teddy bear, you cannot escape his charm; it is impossible not to like him when you know him; he is friendly, like Brazilians - continued Sotero - unlike Dilma Rousseff, who does not have the temperament of a born politician; she is a bureaucrat. She is very disciplined, but not charismatic.' The Workers' Party candidate to succeed Luis Inacio Lula da Silva - whose victory in the presidential elections "is a given-- you just have to see if it will be a first or second round victory"... The risk for Brazil today 'is to want to show off.' Brazil is very active in the G20, but Dilma Rousseff will be 'very busy at home' on several fronts, from education to health care. Rousseff 'must continue to keep Brazil on track toward economic prosperity, improve infrastructure and reduce the bureaucracy and tax system.' Instead, 'if Brazil attempts to go on the international stage too as happened with the case of Iran, it risks losing credibility. In that case, the intentions were very good, but the execution was wrong; we risked being isolated.'"
Global Post, 10/04/2010
“'In the very end, it appears that the abortion issue was what moved more voters away from Dilma,' said Paulo Sotero, a Brazil specialist at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. 'That was a very late movement that was detected by pollsters only Saturday.'"
Wall Street Journal, 10/04/2010
"'It's going to be very, very difficult for Serra to win, because he would have to repair damage he's done so far, and Dilma would have to make enormous mistakes,' said Paulo Sotero, who directs the Brazil Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. 'But accidents do happen.'"
VOA News, 10/04/2010
Listen to Brazil Institute Director Paulo Sotero discuss the results of the first round of the Brazilian presidential election on Voice of America (VOA) evening news program "A Fondo"
- Where the Party has Just Started (in Bulgarian)
Bulgaria's Capital, 10/01/2010
"'Brazil is too big to live in anyone's shadow. We have our own shadow.' According to Brazilian political commentator Paulo Sotero with whom Capital talked about the upcoming presidential election, just add 'already' to this complaint, and things are coming into place. It is unlikely that many people outside the Latin American world were interested in the previous elections in the largest country there. Brazil has always been great, but never as important as it is now. In recent years the country of coffee and football has given a much more serious application for a future world power. Booming economy, stability at home and more influence outside are the three pillars on which the current President Lula built new might in Brazil."
BBC News, 09/30/2010
"'Lula was the first common man to come to power in what is a very unequal society,' said Paulo Sotero, director of the Brazil Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center in the US.'" 'Brazilians have had successful presidents before but he is the first they feel comfortable with.'...Paulo Sotero sees Brazil's foreign policy becoming more predictable and careful, whoever wins. 'Brazil will try to be of service, but if you don't have a star celebrity like Lula, then it is more difficult,' he says. If Lula could constitutionally run again for office, there is little doubt that he would win. Even so, the 2010 election has revolved around him, with all candidates stressing to a greater or lesser extent continuity rather than change.'"
Wall Street Journal, 09/30/2010
"There is more of a possibility now than there was one week ago that we are going to have a second round," said Paulo Sotero, who heads the Brazil Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington."
Associated Press, 09/22/2010
"Paulo Sotero, director del Instituto Brasil del Wilson Center, dijo durante la presentación de la encuesta que en el próximo mandatario enfrentará el reto de satisfacer un creciente interés de la comunidad empresarial brasileña en América Latina, pese a que Brasil tradicionalmente no ha prestado mayor atención a sus vecinos."
New York Times, 09/20/2010
"'This may change the votes of well-educated, well-informed people,' said Paulo Sotero, director of the Brazil Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and it has the potential to push the voting to a second round. But he said it was unlikely to affect the final outcome."
RT - Al Ritmo de los Tiempos, 09/18/2010
Brazil Institute Director Paulo Sotero talks about the corruption scandal involving a Dilma Rousseff top aide and its effect on the presidential elections.
The National, 09/18/2010
"... Brazil’s agricultural production 'is the most efficient and effective in the world at the gate of the farm,' Mr Sotero said....But agriculture products are limited to truck transportation and are habitually delayed in seaports.'The next president will have to modernise the infrastructure,' Mr Sotero said, calling infrastructure a 'big impediment' to growth."
Miami Herald, 09/14/2010
"Indeed, Paulo Sotero, director of the Brazil Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center, said Brazil faces many of the same challenges as the rest of Latin America -- although he said he believes Brazil has the capacity to deal with them. Its roads and ports need to be upgraded and its educational system needs improvement. The average educational level of Brazil's young people is rising but it's still only around eight years. 'You cannot build a modern economy on that,' he said. Sotero predicted Dilma Rousseff, the protege of President Luiz Inacio 'Lula' da Silva, will be the winner in Brazil's presidential election -- perhaps winning the contest outright on Oct. 3 with no need for a second round. But, he said, the Workers Party candidate and da Silva's former chief of staff, has never held elective office before and it remains to be seen whether she will have the negotiating skill of the president. It is something she may need to pick up quickly. If she wins, Sotero said, she will preside over a coalition government and will have to make deals, 'preserving stability without giving away the store.'
O Estado de S. Paulo, 09/14/2010
Brazil Institute Director Paulo Sotero writes about the political and economic challenges facing the U.S. democracy.
O Globo, 08/28/2010
Brazil Institute Director Paulo Sotero participated in a panel led by Globo News journalist William Waack about the decreasing popularity of Obama's government, U.S. politics and economy, and U.S. foreign affairs.
O Estado de S. Paulo, 08/09/2010
Op-ed piece from Brazil Institute Director Paulo Sotero on the challenges of U.S.-Brazil relations that President Lula's successor will have to face.
Reuters, 08/05/2010
Brazil Institute Director Paulo Sotero talks about the political tensions between the United States and Brazil that could threaten a conducive climate for trade.
Reuters, 08/05/2010
"The worrisome aspect of this situation is that the poisonous climate has gone beyond the executive (branches) in both countries," said Paulo Sotero, head of the Brazil Institute at the Wilson Center think-tank in Washington.
RT - Al Ritmo de los Tiempos, 05/24/2010
Brazil Institute Director Paulo Sotero discusses the probability of the UN Security Counsel passing more sanctions against Iran.
New York Times, 05/24/2010
“President Lula ignored the critics and decided Brazil had as much right and legitimate interests to engage in this issue as the U.S. and other major players,” said Paulo Sotero, director of the Brazil Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center.
Inter-American Dialogue's Latin American Advisor, 05/20/2010
Was the deal involving Brazil a victory for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva following criticisms of his engagement with Tehran? What will the agreement with Iran do for Brazil's prospects as a leader and negotiator on the global stage? Peter Hakim, Paulo Sotero, and Matias Spektor address these questions, as well as the aftermath of the agreement.
Lula's visit to Tehran(at 22 minutes and 20 seconds)
BBC Radio 4, 05/14/2010
Brazil Institute Director Paulo Sotero speaks on Lula's high-risk diplomatic trip to Tehran in an attempt to negotiate a nuclear deal with the country.
Foreign Policy, 05/11/2010
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva heads to Tehran this week, a sort of victory lap for what he hopes will be a monumental piece of foreign policy: bringing Iran's leadership to the nuclear negotiating table. Last week, Tehran agreed "in principle" to Brazil and Turkey's offer to facilitate talks on an agreement proposed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last October. Should that initiative succeed, it will surely be remembered as Lula's crowning achievement.
Agência Lusa, 03/08/2010
O Brasil não deve ter uma mudança brusca na sua política com a entrada de um novo Presidente, que será eleito em outubro, já que os principais candidatos são compatíveis ideologicamente, declarou hoje um especialista.
Interesse Nacional, Ano 2, Número 8, Janeiro-Março 2010
Brazil Institute Director Paulo Sotero examines the dominant perception of Brazil’s positive image abroad, established since the democratization and amplified during President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's administration.
Globo News, 01/21/2010
A eleição do primeiro presidente negro da história dos Estados Unidos representou, sem dúvida, um marco histórico na a luta pelos direitos civis. Ao mesmo tempo, ajudou a carregar de expectativas elevadas um governo ocupado com duas guerras e uma grave crise econômica. O resultado é que para muitos grupos envolvidos na campanha de Obama, a esperança deu lugar à frustração.
O Estado de S. Paulo, 01/18/2010
The Obama administration views the need to respond to the catastrophe in Haiti as an enormous leadership challenge and, thus, an opportunity for Brazil and the United States to cooperate in stabilizing and reconstructing a country in which both governments play an important role.