NEW PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL: 1960's GUERRILLA

DILMA ROUSSEF

1970 - age 22

The newly elected President of Brazil has an interesting history. While she is now 62 and not 22, her past is well known in Brazil and was seen as an asset not a liability.

She was born in Rio de Janeiro, her mother a school teacher and her father a political exile from Bulgaria where he was an active member of the Communist Party. In High School Dilma became a Marxist and in 1967 she joined a faction of the Brazilian Socialist Party. They broke off and joined with others who favored armed struggle against the Dictatorship. She taught Marxist Theory to the new recruits and wrote for an underground newspaper. She was involved with various revolutionary groups and ended up going underground.

There are many stories about her activities in the 1960's and 1970's. The movement she was in definitely was involved in armed struggle although she says she never personally killed anyone. The group she was with reportedly killed some of the U.S. torture experts who were sent to train the General's Death Squads. After three years underground at the age of 19 she was captured by Brazil's Military Police. The Military Prosecutor labeled her the "Joan Of Arc" of the guerrilla movement. She was tortured in Tiradentes Prison and after three years she was released in 1972.

She ended up going to college and getting a Master's Degree in Economics and this year was the Worker's Party candidate. I imagine her political beliefs have evolved. But if past is prologue all of her life experiences will have informed who she is today. At the very least she will be an interesting leader on the world stage.

What will be really interesting is that there was an announcement today that Secretary Of State Clinton will attend her inauguration. Of course Dilma will become the most powerful woman leader in the world. Because the Brazilian economy is one of the largest in the world and that is something the United States cannot ignore. So Hillary will have to hang with leaders from Cuba and the progressive countries in South America. And the elephant in the room will be that the new President went from being Joan Of Arc of the guerrillas who was tortured by those supported by the U.S. to the most powerful leader in the room while Hillary will have to just smile.