Workers Party Candidate Lula Da Silva's Landslide Victory in Brazil's Presidential Election Changes the World's Political Landscape

Interview with Steve Cobble,of the Center for international Policy, conducted by Scott Harris



In his fourth run for Brazil's presidency, Workers Party candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won an historic landslide victory, capturing 61 percent of the votes in an Oct. 27 run-off election. "Lula," as he's known across Brazil, will be sworn into office Jan. 1, becoming his nation's first popularly elected leftist leader.

Da Silva captured the hearts of many Brazilians for his unlikely journey to power. After growing up in poverty, Lula became a factory lathe operator, eventually rising to lead the metal workers union. He gained a reputation for courage as he defied Brazil's rightist military dictatorship in power between 1964 and 1985 and was jailed by the generals for leading a series of worker strikes.

Lula comes into office, pledging to improve the lives of Brazil's 50 million citizens now living in poverty. In his first speech after the election, the president-elect announced that his top priority will be to reduce hunger. But with the nation's finance sector uneasy about a Workers Party government, Lula has tried to assure bankers and industrialists that he will balance his fight for social justice with fiscal responsibility. Brazil's 0 billion debt and a steep devaluation of the currency are among the most formidable challenges faced by the working class leader.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Steve Cobble, senior fellow with the Center for International Policy, who assesses the significance of Lula's victory and the impact his Workers government may have on Latin America and the world.

Contact the Center for International Policy by calling (703) 531-1183 or visit their Web site at www.ciponline.org

Related links:

"Brazil's Lula: A Challenge to Washington?" by Roger Burbach, AlterNet, Oct. 29, 2002

Institute for Policy Studies www.ips-dc.org

Narco News www.narconews.com

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promises to go nuclear:

This story out of Canada's National Post is just amazing.







"Brazil's newly elected president, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, has promised to expand the military in Latin America's largest country and turn Brazil into a nuclear power. Mr. da Silva, a left-wing populist who campaigned on promises to improve conditions for the country's vast population of poor, promised military leaders he will forego Brazil's adherence to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and refocus efforts on building up nuclear weapons."

You know what this is about? Money! Always follow the money. This is the Brazilians saying, "Hey, look what the North Koreans did! The NorKorComs said, 'We're going to go nuke,' and the Yankees gave them a reactor. They paid them money for their people, which they poured into their military. We're going to do the same thing!" They see three new members (Pakistan, India, North Korea) entered the Nuclear Club in the past few years.

So if you're some backwater country, just say you're going to start a quest for nukes and get paid off to not do it. Obviously that's the strategery – and the great thing is you can still make the nukes anyway. Just look at North Korea! I'm telling you, this Brazilian leftist has it all figured out. Just sign a piece of paper with Jimmy Carter promising not to get nukes, get a big payoff and free reactors, then make nukes anyway. It would work perfectly - except that Bill Clinton isn't in the White House.