Brazilian view of the Americas

Raśl Escalante counters Tor Guimaraes'view that the US is looking more and more like Brasil (in terms of corruption). Raśl says "people outside the US believe that the rule in the US is that people are held accountable for their actions. The generalized absence of impunity in the US is one of the main differentiators between "banana republics" and progressive countries (I hate to use the term progressive, but I can't think of a better one). The laughable extreme of vulnerability for past misbehavior was President Clinton's impeachment trial. Most people I know were astonished for months that ostensibly the most powerful man in the world was about to be knocked down for allegedly trying to knock-up (sorry, couldn't resist the bad pun) an assistant. Yes, yes... I know the perjury charge was really the issue, but I believe public sentiment focused more on his sexual improprieties, which was what allowed the Republican Party to take things as far as they did. Most people would agree that Argentines (and Mexicans) should question the merits of their political system, the budgetary incentives of provincial governments and the pervasiveness of the coima* culture, more than the capitalist system (hard to think straight on an empty stomach, though)".

* Coima means literally the keeper of a gambling table.

Ronald Hilton - 7/5/02