Regime change diplomacy. Washington and Russian “adventurism” in Brazil

Having never officially observed an election in Brazil former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and the organization he founded to promote ethical democracy have given unequivocal support to president (sic) Michel Temer and his team in their efforts to safeguard Brazil's democratic values.

The endorsement, signed by Carter, congratulated prominent electoral law specialist Torquato Jardim on his appointment as Temer's new Transparency Minister. It went on the official government website last Tuesday (June 14th) and was amped up by major online and print media throughout Brazil, but not in the United States.

Meanwhile, three key ministers in Temer's government have resigned from their posts having been linked to bribery and corruption allegations stemming from the Petrobras and Lava Jato scandals that involve influence peddling, corruption and obstruction of justice and more could follow.

Carter's support for interim president Temer, a member of the Brazilian Popular Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) who was elected as vice president running on the ticket led by sidelined president Dilma Rousseff of the Workers' Party, indicates a willingness to acknowledge Temer as the official leader of Latin America's largest democracy before the constitutionally prescribed impeachment process legally and permanently removes Dilma from being the nation's freely elected leader.

As the impeachment drama plays out, the rift between Temer and his former ally Dilma has become personal, resembling a vendetta. Temer has limited her ability to use government aircraft to travel around the nation. He has also cut back on the food budget at her official presidential residence. Several employees, including cleaners, security people, and wait staff  have been dismissed for lack of funds.

But Temer's inability to project the image of a strong leader to members of congress, and the armed forces and an increasingly restless public suggest that Temer, at age 74, may lack the political stamina to stay the course if the going gets rougher. And he is not a "great communicator" who could finesse big problems like late U.S. president Ronald Reagan.

In a recent interview in flagship daily Folha, Figueiredo Basto, a lawyer for several politicians and business executives who have done plea bargain deals with the federal justice system, Temer's  ability to lead Brazil effectively is being "held hostage" by the Lava Jato (Car Wash) scandal.

Then too, Temer's 2014 political campaign for the vice presidency on the ticket led by president Dilma has been implicated in taking funds from improper sources, which is an impeachable offense and he too is under investigation.

Carter friend Torquato Jardim, who has lectured at Georgetown and elsewhere in the United States, was not  the first choice of interim president Temer to be Minister for Transparency in his temporary cabinet. That nod went to a 41 year old career politician who is a rising star in Temer’s own PMDB party.

 Fabiano Silveira, lasted a little over two weeks before resigning after suggesting that it is in the best interest of Brazil if the government suppresses the Lava Jato nvestigation. Statements he made to powerful president of the Senate, Renan Calheiros.  Unfortunately, for Fabio, the statements, somehow, were recorded.

While some minor improvments have been made thanks to social media, Brazil has a transparency problem that even fixer consultants like Stonebridge Albright and Kissinger and Associates would be challenged to successfuly mediate.

According to the latest corruption perception index published by Trasparency International, Brazil  is in 78th place, in the same general grouping as India and Indonesia. The United States under president Barack Obama, comes in at 6th place, one of the world's "most clean" nations.

Because Temer is a backroom dealmaker and not a retail politician his ability to hold and wield  power depends on how well Transparency Minister Jardim and his friends at the Carter Center watch the interim president's back.

When he built Brasilia, the futuristic capital, president Juscelino Kubitschek told the nation they would be making fifty years of progress in five.  If president Dilma is formally impeached and removed from the presidency Temer will have just eighteen months to roll back fourteen years of populist policies implemented by the leftist Workers’ Party.