HOW IS THE BRAZILIAN INSURRECTION DIFFERENT FROM (BUT ALSO SIMILAR TO) THE AMERICAN ONE? (Thread) 1. First and foremost, ransackers in Brazil do not claim to be "defending democracy". They openly admit democracy does not work for them and instead claim for "military intervention". They openly wish for a dictatorship.

For those outside Brazil, it’s difficult to imagine the significance of Lula’s victory & Bolsonaro’s defeat. This was not a “normal” election between candidates who diverge ideologically in a “normal” democracy, but a battle for democracy & for the soul of the country (1/) It’s useful to know Brazil was caught right in the middle of the Cold War and the fight against “communism”. In 1960, João Goulart (pic) was elected on a progressive platform, which made the US exceedingly nervous. In 1964, with the help of the CIA there’s a military coup (2).