Writer, geographer and former development professional who has lived in Brazil for 26 years. Former directorate member of the Fórum Nacional de Reforma Urbana (National Urban Reform Forum). Has lived in São Luis, Recife, Salvador, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Author of “Os Megaeventos Esportivos na Cidade do Rio de Janeiro e o Direito á Cidade” (CEPR: Porto Alegre. 2016). Editor of "Voices of the Brazilian Left" (Sumare: São Paulo. 2018). Editor of "Year of Lead: Washington, Wall Street and the New Imperialism in Brazil" ((Sumare: São Paulo. 2019) Irregular correspondent for the Chicago radio show This is Hell.
By Brian Mier I arrived in Porto Velho yesterday and could see plumes of smoke billowing in the distance as the plane descended into city which, in itself, is covered in smoky haze. We grabbed a taxi in from the airport and the driver told us that he doesn’t understand why there are so many […]
As the Amazon burns, 13 progressive Democratic Members of Congress request clarification on the US Department of Justice’s role in Jair Bolsonaro’s rise to power. By Brian Mier 13 Democratic Members of Congress delivered a letter to US Attorney General William Barr this week, demanding answers to questions about the legality and ethics of the […]
In letter signed by 13 members of Congress, US Attorney General is asked to “describe the full extent of DOJ’s engagement with Judge Sergio Moro”. by Brian Mier On Tuesday, August 20, 13 members of US Congress delivered a letter to Attorney General William Barr demanding answers on possible illegal collusion and ethics violations made […]
On Monday afternoon a giant smoke cloud emanating from burning rainforest over 1000 kilometers away engulfed São Paulo in darkness. By Brian Mier On Monday, August 19th, I left my home on the North Side of São Paulo at 2 PM and headed towards the Tieté bus station, the brutalist structure erected by Paulo Maluf […]
Everyone who cared about Democracy who was paying attention to what was happening in Brazil knew, from day one, that Lula’s arrest was a sham result of a biased political witch hunt led by right wing extremists in order to remove him from the presidential race. The Intercept revelations now prove, unequivocally, that they were […]
3rd “Education Tsunami” shut down schools and traffic in the downtown areas of cities in all 26 Brazilian states, but was whitewashed in the international media. Brazilian students and union members blocked major thoroughfares in over 200 cities on August 13th to protest the Bolsonaro government’s austerity cuts to the public education system. The protests […]
On Twitter, Dilma Rousseff, the former Brazilian President who was deposed in the 2016 Coup, called the electoral victory of the Alberto Fernández/Christina Kirchner ticket in the Argentinian presidential primaries a “light at the end of the tunnel” for Latin America. Dilma: Argentina election, “light at end of tunnel” “Alberto Fernández/Cristina Kirchner’s victory in the […]
Defense team continues to fight for reversal of all charges due to lack of evidence and illegal collusion between judge Sérgio Moro and the Lava Jato prosecution team. by Brian Mier On Wednesday Morning, August 7th, Judge Carolina Lebbos, from the 12ª Federal District Court in Curitiba, authorized former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s […]
When you acheive human rights you should never let them be taken back from you in any way under any pretext,” said the 76 year old musician, “this has been happening around the World and it is happening in Brazil. It’s a neurosis.” During an interview on the Brazilian TV talk show Lady Night on […]
Recent poll shows Bolsonaro government’s popularity continues to slide as scandals and unpopular policy measures damage credibility São Paulo – According to a recent poll conducted by Atlas Politico most Brazilians strongly disapprove key policy decisions of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro such as his plan to authorize gold mining in national parks and Indigenous reservations […]