Corruption Allegations Plaguing Brazil’s Leftist Administration

For the second time in nearly a month, the Brazilian people have taken to the street to protest President Dilma Rousseff’s administration. The latest protests revolve around corruption charges being levied against her and members of her politically leftist Workers Party.

While some protesters are calling specifically for the impeachment of President Rousseff, others have demanded for constitutional military intervention.

The corruption charges arise from alleged price-fixing brackets that cost the state-owned oil company Petrobras billions of dollars during her tenure as Chairwoman between 2003 and 2010.

As much as leftist governments tout that they represent the people and capitalism is corrupt, this recent example only helps strengthen the argument that the most corrupt sector in Latin American is not the capitalist, but the socialist regimes.

While no evidence has surfaced yet directly tying President Rousseff’s to these charges, it is strongly believed that she was at least complicit, if not directly involved, in the crime.

It is important that the western world not fail to recognize the fact that while Brazil stands as one of our strongest trading partners, under President Rousseff, the country has strengthened ties to hostile nations around the world.

In the past, Dilma publically condemned the United States regarding the NSA spying scandal at the UN. Coincidentally, in the same speech she failed to mention the Venezuelan and Cuban intelligence apparatus that aggressively prosecutes political dissidents within their own countries.

Brazil under Dilma Rousseff has strongly supported Venezuela and other ALBA nations. As recently as last month, Brazil released a joint statement with various left leaning Latin American governments criticizing President Barack Obama’s sanctions against seven Venezuelan officials accused of violating protestor’s right to free speech.

In the recent establishment of diplomatic talks between the US and Cuba, the Brazilian president took the side of the totalitarian regime. Dilma, as the Brazilians call her, only sees this through the eyes of the socialist guerrilla that she is. She believes that this is a victory for social fighters around the world against the so-called “imperialists”.

Not only is Brazil slowly treading into hazardous waters through their rhetoric, their recent arms agreements with Russia is setting up a precedent that should be avoided at all costs. Brazil is currently behind the United States, Venezuela, and Mexico in arms imports for the hemisphere. Through Russian assistance, they could easily become a greater threat to regional stability.

Luckily, the Brazilian populace is noticing the dangerous direction Dilma Rousseff is taking the country. They want economic stability and personal safety, not another corrupt leftist President.