ABSTRACT
Brazil and Venezuela, two resource-rich Latin American nations, have sustained unprecedented levels of political crises, fueled by economic uncertainty, governmental mismanagement, and political intrigue. Many were caught up in the scandal, which snared the former president, Mr. Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva and indirectly led to impeachment of his successor, Dilma Rousseff, in late 2016. The Odebrecht bribe scandal, which has affected many nations in Latin America, including Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, is a sort of “Made in Brazil” crisis. While corruption and political crises dominate the news in Brazil, neighboring Venezuela seems to be in a steady economic slide under the leadership of President Nicolás Maduro. The nation holds the largest oil reserves of any nation on Earth and, during the second half of the twentieth century, Venezuela grew steadily, built impressive infrastructure and attracted immigrants from Europe, the Middle East, and other Latin American nations.
