Dr. Khalid Al-Shafi
“The other cities had presented mere sketches, but we presented a heart and a soul,” said the former president of Brazil, Lula da Silva (2003-2010), while commenting on his country’s successful bid to host the football World Cup in 2014.
Lula said this as tears rolled down his cheeks after Brazil had won two bids, to host the World Cup 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016, overcoming strong competition from the United States, backed by President Barack Obama himself, and Spain, respectively. Thus, Brazil is going to be the first Latin American state to host the world’s most important sports events, namely the football World Cup and the Olympic Games, in Rio de Janeiro. Rio will be the first South American city to host the Olympics.
Until the 1980s, Brazil was unable to repay its external debts or control inflation. At the end of last year, Brazil had officially become the world’s sixth largest economy, followed by Britain. Overpopulation, corruption, tyranny, totalitarianism, misery, poverty and crime used to afflict Brazil in the past. Now, however, it has turned into a safe haven for foreign direct investment. From a military dictatorship the country has managed to turn into a parliamentary democracy.
In his first address to the nation, Lula spoke frankly and transparently. He said austerity was the solution (not the slogans used by the Muslim Brotherhood, the Salafis, nationalists, liberals or the remnants of the former regime in the Arab Spring countries) to economic problems. Austerity is the best cure for an ailing economy and for reducing budget deficits. Lula, who belongs to the working class, left school in the fifth grade due to his family’s poverty. When he became president, he asked everybody – rich and poor – to help him. He made progress thanks to his popularity and successive successes.
Lula’s economic reform programmes succeeded in lifting many people from poverty. He managed to push a million Brazilian families from penury to the middle class.
The Arab Spring countries should learn a lesson from Brazil. They should forget about their ideologies, extremism and absolute certainties. Brazil was able to work real miracles.
“The other cities had presented mere sketches, but we presented a heart and a soul,” said the former president of Brazil, Lula da Silva (2003-2010), while commenting on his country’s successful bid to host the football World Cup in 2014.
Lula said this as tears rolled down his cheeks after Brazil had won two bids, to host the World Cup 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016, overcoming strong competition from the United States, backed by President Barack Obama himself, and Spain, respectively. Thus, Brazil is going to be the first Latin American state to host the world’s most important sports events, namely the football World Cup and the Olympic Games, in Rio de Janeiro. Rio will be the first South American city to host the Olympics.
Until the 1980s, Brazil was unable to repay its external debts or control inflation. At the end of last year, Brazil had officially become the world’s sixth largest economy, followed by Britain. Overpopulation, corruption, tyranny, totalitarianism, misery, poverty and crime used to afflict Brazil in the past. Now, however, it has turned into a safe haven for foreign direct investment. From a military dictatorship the country has managed to turn into a parliamentary democracy.
In his first address to the nation, Lula spoke frankly and transparently. He said austerity was the solution (not the slogans used by the Muslim Brotherhood, the Salafis, nationalists, liberals or the remnants of the former regime in the Arab Spring countries) to economic problems. Austerity is the best cure for an ailing economy and for reducing budget deficits. Lula, who belongs to the working class, left school in the fifth grade due to his family’s poverty. When he became president, he asked everybody – rich and poor – to help him. He made progress thanks to his popularity and successive successes.
Lula’s economic reform programmes succeeded in lifting many people from poverty. He managed to push a million Brazilian families from penury to the middle class.
The Arab Spring countries should learn a lesson from Brazil. They should forget about their ideologies, extremism and absolute certainties. Brazil was able to work real miracles.
