Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center Director Peter Schechter writes for CNN’s Global Public Square on how the World Cup will affect Brazil’s future:
As Brazilians prepare for the opening game of this year’s World Cup, the public can be expected to engage with their wonderful soccer team and perhaps look forward to some celebrating – after all, Brazil is a firm favorite with the bookmakers. But the doubts about the tournament – visible in protests, newspaper editorials, NGO activism on stadium cost overruns, strikes, and increasingly strident criticism of President Dilma Rousseff – speak to important questions about Brazil’s future.
In fact, whatever happens over the next month, one thing is clear: Brazil is at a moment of profound transition. The “model” is in doubt.