It's disgusting to see a national humiliating one's country to appease the gringos. Typical right-winger, Reinaldo Azevedo reading, DEM-voting, middle class dumbass. That the people is choosing Rousseff as their next president is nothing "said" (sic) for the country. They're chossing to reelect the party that has done the best in recent decades for the poor's destiny whilst improving the country's macroeconomics. The joke is people like you - people who vote more on the basis of stereotypes and prejudices rather than real life achievements.

I am sorry, but the only joke here is the US... a country that has a debt of 13 trillion dollars, waged 2 wars in 4 years, mess up with every single country in the world and wants to block every single attempt of agreements on several issues like climate change.
Also, refuse to sign the Non Proliferation Treaty and other treaties like the one regarding the use of chemical and biological weapons.

Joke was the laws the US approved to surpass personal liberties, the law that granted the CIA to torture people without any accusation.

So, my country, Brazil, is been developing year after year, and it's a pacifist country, has achieved many treaties with other countries without sending "the marines". True it still in need of more, but at least we are developing without causing suffering to other countries, we don't invade, destroy, kill. And wherever I go, people will cheer and salute me only by the fact I am a BRAZILIAN.

As for the Americans to reelect Bush for a second term after all what he has done to the world (specially the iraqis and afghanis) the real joke is the people of the US.

And you coming here and daring to write this is a joke itself. The US is noticeable declining...their political influence, economic influence and cultural influence is declining. Yes, it will still strong for many years to come... but the time of the American Empire is done, just like the british who still don't understand their Empire is gone long ago.

In 10 years, when Brazil becomes the 4th economy in the world, come here and write again that Brazil is a joke. ;)

You're totally right ASCHOPS. Maybe the author could tell us a joke about Sarah Palin also.

And the question remains. What happened to Foreign Policy? It used to have smart writers.

But, leaving the jokes aside for a second, isn't it unusual for a american to jump upon an issue like this without any research or previous knowledge about the country? It's so unpolited, undiplomatic. It lowers the standard of the whole magazine.

And isn't it strange to talk about this when the US itself has much greater challenges to face, both domestic and abroad?

I have just made up my mind. Leave Mr. Keating behind...