The Cost of Corruption: Power, Propaganda, and the Unmaking of Brazilian Democracy

Brazil is the world's ninth-largest economy, a nation of 215 million people, and a democracy that keeps devouring itself.For over half a century, a relentless cycle of corruption, propaganda, and institutional capture has stolen more from the Brazilian people than any foreign power ever could — their future.The Cost of Corruption traces this pattern from the military takeover in 1964 — when generals assumed control of the country and held it for over two decades — through Lula's third presidency, exposing how billions were looted through state-owned enterprises, how courts were weaponized to protect allies and destroy opponents, and how a sophisticated propaganda machine kept the architects of the scheme in power decade after decade.This is not a left-versus-right story. It is the story of a system designed to enrich the few at the expense of an entire nation — and the citizens who are finally demanding it stop. Read more