Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s victory over Jair Bolsonaro in the Brazilian presidential election is the latest evidence of the resurgence of the Latin American left. This is a one of the most hopeful stories in the world, since the left and center-left parties that now govern most of Latin America have the potential to seriously address issues like climate change and inequality. But it’s a complex story too, since the populist right is also gaining force. Bolsonaro’s supporters did well in elections below the presidential level. The right is also organizing effective opposition in many other countries in the region, forcing the left to govern in coalitions with centrists.
To survey the prospects for the left in the region, I sat down with journalist Doug Bell to interview Jeremy Adelman, the Henry Charles Lea Professor of History at Princeton University. He is also the director of the Global History Lab at Princeton. Both have spoken to me in a previous podcast. During the podcast, we talked about a UN address on the war on drugs and climate with Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Doug Bell can be found here.
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