Rio Slum Is ‘Pacified’ in Advance of Games

This article, by Simon Romero, is quite interesting because it describes Brazil's movement to clean up and correct huge slums around Rio De Janeiro to prepare Rio for hosting the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. This past week, the Brazilian government deployed around 3,000 security forces, including police and soldiers, to enforce order in these crime-filled slums. The intensity of this intervention can be perfectly described by the article: "...military helicopters buzzed the sky, and tanks rolled through the narrow streets of the Rocinha slum. Elite police squads patrolled the alleys, and snipers perched on rooftops." No shots where fired but why some much firepower? It might be an overreaction but it is making the area much safer. The true test of this mission's success will be when the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics occur.

By Andrew Rice and Julian Graef