The Economist’s Aug. 30 print edition puts Brazil on its cover, arguing that the country’s prosecution of former president Jair Bolsonaro for an alleged coup plot now serves as a template for safeguarding democracy after a populist backlash. Bolsonaro, who lost the 2022 election and urged supporters to contest the result, is slated to stand trial next week before the Supreme Federal Court on charges linked to the 8 January 2023 storming of the presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court in Brasília. The magazine notes that Bolsonaro has been under house arrest since 4 August, is already barred from running for office and could face further penalties if convicted. It contrasts Brazil’s response—backed by a broad political consensus despite criticism of the STF’s sweeping powers—with developments in the United States, where Donald Trump, reelected in 2024, has yet to be tried for the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot. The Economist also highlights frictions between Brasília and Washington. Trump recently imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian products and sanctioned Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the lead investigator in the Bolsonaro case, under the Magnitsky Act. Despite the U.S. pressure, the weekly says Brazil is “determined to safeguard and strengthen its democracy,” offering what it calls a lesson in democratic maturity for a United States it views as turning “more corrupt, protectionist and authoritarian.”