Johns Hopkins SAIS expert available to discuss Brazil during Rio Summer Olympics

MEDIA ADVISORY

As Rio de Janeiro prepares to host the Olympic Games, Dr. Riordan Roett, Director of the Latin American Studies Program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), is available to offer insight on Brazil's challenges ahead in the midst of political and economic turmoil.

While the Olympics are often used to highlight the rising power of a country, the spotlight on Brazil — the first South American host for the games—has cast greater concern over chaos in the nation including a government beset with corruption charges and impeachment proceedings, a sluggish rebound after a deep recession and health concerns in the aftermath of the Zika virus outbreak.

“Brazil overreached in bidding for both the soccer finals last year and the 2016 Olympics,” Dr. Roett observed. “The Workers Party wanted the glory, but forgot to undertake preparations in a timely fashion.”

He is available to discuss:

• How serious are the security concerns in Rio de Janeiro as the Olympics open August 5?
• Why did local authorities wait until the last minute to finish construction of the Olympic Village and other venues?
• Will tourists feel welcome in Rio de Janeiro given the poor infrastructure, overcrowding and long waits at the airports as the government, belatedly, introduces new security measures?
• Why was it impossible for the government to solve the pollution problem in Guanabara Bay where the boating events will take place?
• Will the Olympics have a positive or negative effect on the local economy?

Dr. Roett has offered commentary on Brazil’s economy and politics as cited in Bloomberg, CBS News, and Foreign Policy.

The noted scholar on Latin America has recently published Brazil: What Everyone Needs to Know via Oxford University Press, that provides an authoritative overview of Brazil’s society, politics, culture and economy.
 
Media Contact

Stacy A. Anderson
Communications Manager
Johns Hopkins SAIS
202.663.5620 office
202.853.7983 mobile
[email protected] 


About Johns Hopkins SAIS

A division of Johns Hopkins University, the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a global institution that offers students an international perspective on today’s critical issues. For seven decades, students have distinguished themselves by pursuing academic excellence in international relations. The school was established in Washington, D.C. in 1943, and opened its campus in Bologna, Italy in 1955. It initiated one of the first Western university programs in the People’s Republic of China when it launched a campus in Nanjing in 1986.

The school’s mission is to provide an interdisciplinary professional education that prepares a diverse graduate student body for internationally related positions of responsibility; to foster research, scholarship and cross-cultural exchange; and to contribute knowledge, expertise and leadership to the global community.

For more information, visit sais-jhu.edu or @SAISHopkins


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