Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 07/2008

Lula Can Make 2008 a Very Good Year

Roger F. Noriega

January 2008

American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research

Abstract

If Time magazine had wanted to recognize a true democrat and reformer as the 2007 Person of the Year, they would have chosen Brazil's president Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva over Russia's Vladimir Putin. Working within Brazil's free, pluralistic democratic system, Lula has focused on economic growth and social justice, getting tangible results with his new anti-hunger and poverty programs. Unlike Putin, Lula is also strengthening key institutions and the rule of law.