Brazil

Geography, Climate, and Environment
In December 2015, rising food prices resulted from heavy rainfall brought by El Nino.

Government and Politics
Brazil's deep recession and a massive corruption scandal at state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA turned President Dilma Rousseff into the country's most unpopular president in many years, with her opponents seeking to unseat her one year into her second term for allegedly breaking budget laws by resorting to accounting tricks to hide greater public spending aimed at boosting the economy during her re-election campaign in 2014.

Impeachment proceedings against her were opened on December 2, 2015 in the lower house by her archenemy, the speaker Eduardo Cunha, who had been charged with taking bribes. However, on December 16, the Supreme Court ruled that the upper chamber authority could reject impeachment even if the lower house voted for it. With Rousseff's prospects of political survival getting a mild boost by December 20, she looked to redirect economic policy to save her presidency.

Middle East
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was President of Brazil from 2003 to 2011, angered Israel by drawing Bazil closer to Iran. Brazil's left-leaning government supported Palestinian statehood during this time, as most world powers deemed the Jewish settlements illegal. In 2010, relations with Israel soured when Brazil decided to recognize Palestinian statehood officially in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Despite tensions, Israel played a considerable role in providing avionics technology for Brazil's aerospace and defense industry.

In late December 2015, Brazil's reluctance to accept an Israeli ambassador, who was a West Bank settler, set off a diplomatic crisis and led to concerns in the Israeli government that the clash would encourage pro-Palestinian activism against it.

Economy
Food prices from El Nino's heavy rainfall pushed Brazil's inflation over 10% in mid-December 2015 during a deep recession and showed signs of further increases. Brazil's central bank reiterated that it would take the necessary measures to bring inflation back to the official target of 4.5% in 2017, signaling it would raise interest rates. High inflation hurt not only consumer confidence, but also the popularity of President Rousseff, threatened with a possible impeachment. Indeed, presidential aides worried by December 20 that rising inflation and the growing ranks of unemployed Brazilians would reignite social unrest and fuel the anti-presidential movement as the decision on the impeachment process dragged on into 2016.