Explaining Brazil

Checks and balances turned into vendettas (preview)

Dec 17, 2025 · 10 min · 7.6 MB
0:00-10:28

Streams straight from the publisher. PodNod never proxies or re-hosts episode audio.

In any democratic republic, it’s normal for the executive, legislative, and judicial branches to clash. That’s a sign of mutual oversight. It’s also normal for politicians to make concessions to their adversaries. That’s a sign of democracy.

But the sequence of recent events in Brazilian politics has turned into a sweeping narrative about what happens when these dynamics of checks and balances slide into sheer revanchism and bargaining over the rule of law.

Send us your feedback

Support the show