Brazil is a nation that we find particularly fascinating here, in part because it exists on that razor's edge between building the future and falling apart. Several of today's Retrospective posts concern Brazil, but each comes at the subject from a different perspective. Last December, Alex did something of an overview of stories that seemed to popping up all over about the country's potential, The Latest on Brazil.

Lula: "Brazil Is More Than Carnaval and Street Kids." It's also a growing economy, running a massive and successful microcredit program, investing in biodiesel as a strategic priority, making a big move into wind energy and opening its carbon emissions trading program. [...]

Lula's still the darling of the global Left for his serious diplomatic and trade mojo. The Left in Brazil is less enamored of the austerity measures he's put in place to keep the Real stable and the IMF from doing an Argentina on their butts.