Beef, Bible and bullets

Beef, bible and bullets looks at the social, political and economic trends that brought a maverick right-wing populist to office in Latin America's largest economy.

Backed by Brazils wealthy agribusiness groups, a growing evangelical movement, and an emboldened military and police force, Jair Bolsonaro took office in 2019. Driven by the former army captains brand of controversial, aggressive rhetoric, the divisive presidential campaign saw fake news and misinformation shared with Bolsonaros tens of millions of social media followers. Bolsonaro promised simple solutions to Brazils rising violent crime, falling living standards and widespread corruption, but what has emerged is Latin America's most right-wing president since the military dictatorships of the 1970s. Famous for his racist, homophobic and sexist beliefs and his disregard for human rights, the so-called Trump of the Tropics has established a reputation based on his polemical, sensationalist statements. Written by a journalist with decades of experience in the field, Beef, Bible and bullets is a compelling account of the origins of Brazil's unique brand of right-wing populism. Lapper offers the first major assessment of the Bolsonaro government and the growing tensions between extremist and moderate conservatives.

Autorentext

Richard Lapper is a writer and consultant who specialises in Latin America. He worked for the Financial Times for twenty-five years, occupying the post of Latin America editor between 1998 and 2008, and is an Associated Fellow of Chatham House.

Inhalt
Preface to the 2022 editionIntroduction1 The outsider2 Coming in from the cold3 The magic moment4 Dilma Rousseff and the rocky road to recession5 The foundations begin to shake6 A political implosion7 Fear and loathing in the favelas8 From utopia to dystopia9 And God told me to vote for Bolsonaro10 Environment, environment, its a joke11 The Amazon is burning12 Tilting at windmills13 A president under pressure14 An unexpected bonanza AfterwordList of abbreviationsAcknowledgementsNotesIndex