SJS 8- Lula's Last Year

Source- Maxwell, Kenneth. "Lula's Last Year." Current History, vol. 109, no. 724, Feb. 

     2010, pp. 43-46. 

Author Credentials- The author of this journal is Kenneth Maxwell. He is very qualified to discuss this issue due to his experience with topic. He studied at an elite school (Princeton University) and has since become a member of the Council on foreign Relations. This, along with his expertise in Latin America studies, make him a very qualified historian.

Summary- The main argument Maxwell discusses is whether former Brazilian president Luis Lula Da Silva was considered successful, which as he argues was a successful leader. He talks about many of the different problems faced by Lula when coming into office, some of which include a less than stellar economy and a declining workforce. In Lula's years in office, he was able to create strong banks, diverse economies,  a semi-agricultural economy and has made Brazil a world power that exports Sugar, Coffee and oil resources. This, along with his charm and confidence have made him a very popular president among the Brazilian population, even giving him the term of "Teflon President". Although recent years with Lula as president have been a success, Maxwell also argued that the upcoming years will in fact be a challenge due to the different problems the upcoming president faces that include maintaining the success Lula created. This shows how Lula was a successful president that helped better the economy of Brazil and make them a world power in the economy. 

Analysis- Maxwell does pose a very strong and concise argument by giving enough facts and details to support his position on whether Lula was a successful president. He also is able to distinguish between fact and opinion when posing his argument, which makes his argument so strong and also allows him to be a reliable source.