Resources on the Olympics From CFR and Foreign Affairs

The 2016 Summer Olympics begin in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this Friday, August 5. To help better understand the full significance of the Olympic games, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and Foreign Affairs offer resources on the games’ political, economic, and health implications for Brazil and the world.

The Economics of Hosting the Olympics

The costs of hosting the Olympics have skyrocketed in recent decades, and the economic benefits are far from clear, explains this primer. Interest in hosting the event has shrunk, and an emerging consensus is that reforms are needed to lighten the burden on future host-cities. 

Teetering at the Precipice

At a recent CFR meeting, Senior Fellow for Global Health Laurie Garrett, Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies Shannon K. O’Neil, Capital Economics Ltd.’s Neil Shearing, and SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc.’s Arthur M. Rubin discussed Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment trial, Brazil’s deepening economic recession, and the Zika virus outbreak.

The Zika Threat Is Moving North

The Zika virus is spreading to North America, and U.S. delays in approving research and funding could lead to a public health disaster, conclude Skoll Global Threats Fund Chairman Larry Brilliant and CFR’s Laurie Garrett in an Expert Brief.

Zika’s Spread Across the Americas

Nearly half a million people are expected to travel to Brazil for the Olympics. The Zika virus—a mosquito-borne illness that has been linked to a dramatic rise in birth defects in Brazil and neighboring countries—has prompted the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency, explains this Backgrounder.

An Agonizing August for Brazil

CFR Adjunct Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies Matthew M. Taylor outlines the plethora of challenges Brazil will face this August—pollution, the growing terrorist threat, the impending impeachment vote, severe stresses on city infrastructure, and others—in the Latin America’s Moment blog.

Brazil Struggles Against Deforestation

The Amazon rainforest absorbs more greenhouse gases than any other tropical forest. But in Brazil, deforestation has claimed nearly a fifth of the Amazon’s tree cover, threatening biodiversity and exacerbating climate change. CFR’s latest InfoGuide takes an interactive look at Brazil’s struggle to stop deforestation.

Is Rio Ready for the Olympic Games?

The Olympics will likely go smoothly, but spending and construction for the games will burden the city for years to come, says journalist Juliana Barbassa in a CFR interview.

Brazil’s Antipoverty Breakthrough

At the turn of the millennium, about a third of Brazil’s population languished beneath the international poverty line. But over the last dozen years, Brazil has shown that there’s an unprovocative and market-friendly way to fight inequality, writes Foreign Affairs Managing Editor Jonathan Tepperman in the January/February 2016 issue of Foreign Affairs.

What Dilma Rousseff’s Impeachment Could Mean for Brazil

In a CFR meeting, Shannon K. O’Neil analyzed the implications Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment for Brazil’s economy and its ability to govern.