Blaming a country's problems on its "culture" however you are defining that is a cop out. India has these exact problems at 5 times the scale. Have any of you tried to start an education company there, all the government officials I spoke to wanted a minimum 1 million dollar bribe, yet it would be idiotic to say that India is doomed when their rapid development is staring you in the face.

Brazil doesn't suffer from novel and "culturally" inherent problems. You would never say that Brazil is culturally inferior to another country because that is bigotted and ridiculous. The country is suffering the same developing bottle necks that others have and continue to face. Look at where the country has come from, look at where it is now, and I implore you to actually compare Brazil to the other (B)RICS etc. since they offer the best contextual comparison.

The most incredible thing about Brazil is that despite the insurmountable odds whether it is the wheels of capitalism, passionate people, or government involvement - or perhaps a hybrid - Brazil is not lost.

Cynicism has its place too, but in an objective analysis of Brazil's prospects on the world stage, leave it out. I respect your experiences and what you have contributed, but the points of information you have provided are without the global context necessary to understand Brazil's place.

Will Rio offer the world the next Silicon Valley? Only time will tell, but its clear to me that it has a damn good shot.