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How far can Lula's stardust scatter? | Richard Bourne

Source: The Guardian

Nov 07, 2009

Summary

The president of Brazil stands for democracy, and for the poor. These are still valuable qualities in the 21st century

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, who has received the Chatham House prize for 2009 , is one of the few world politicians to have ridden out the global economic crisis with an enhanced reputation. In April he was congratulated by Barack Obama at the Summit of the Americas as the most popular politician on the planet, and he has had approval ratings of over 80%.

The Chatham House award may not be the greatest thing since sliced bread; Lula was voted for by members ahead of the prince who is foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, and the president of Liberia. But he deserves to be saluted not only for the economic management of his government – enormously helped by the discovery of deepwater oil fields, and the international commodities boom – but for the role he has played in consolidating democracy in his country. For over 20 years, from 1964 onwards, Brazil was a military dictatorship.

He has represented the democratic impulse since his

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