show bio President Fernando Cardoso

Fernando Cardoso served as President of the Federal Republic of Brazil for two consecutive terms, from 1995 to 2003. During his time in office, Cardoso worked to reduce government involvement in the Brazilian economy to attract foreign investment and spur economic growth. Cardoso’s administration also encouraged an increase in ethanol production through the country’s sugar cane crop, which has made Brazil a model for the use of alternative fuels. Cardoso served as professor-at-large at Brown University’s Watson Institute of International Studies from 2003 to 2008. Cardoso has written two books on his presidential experiences, "The Accidental President of Brazil: A Memoir" (2006) and "Charting a New Course: The Politics of Globalization and Global Transformation" (2001).

Democracy Today: The Future of Latin America
Date: 3/23/2007

Former Brazilian President Fernando Enrique Cardoso discusses the future of democracy in Latin America in a public address at the Clinton School. Cardoso calls democracy an “unfinished process,” something that should be constantly strived for, but can never fully be reached. He contends that while democracy has been challenged on his continent, it is very much alive in Latin America. “The best way to safeguard democracy in our part of the world and elsewhere is always by strengthening and deepening its substance,” Cardoso says. He talks about the economic and social change in Latin America as the result of the influx of democracy and the rise of globalization. Cardoso mentions the rise of Hugo Chavez and other left-wing leaders in Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua in discussing the complexity of the political and social situation throughout the region.

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