US imperialism in Brazil and the Operation Car Wash

“Operation Car Wash” was a judicial inquiry in Brazil between 2014 and 2021. It investigated corruption; however, it targeted disproportionately leftist Workers’ Party, removing it from government and facilitating the election of far-right Jair Bolsonaro. During fourteen years in the presidency, the Workers’ Party somehow disturbed neoliberalism, focusing on welfare, affirmative measures and a foreign policy that did not prioritise the United States. The US has been responsible for the overthrow of progressive political leaders on multiple occasions. This thesis argues the US interfered again, allying with Brazil’s dominant classes to restore class power and reinforce hegemony in Latin America.