Brazil—Between Rock and Ocean

At the end of the Copacabana beach in Rio stands a huge rock called the Morro do Leme. Slowly but remorselessly, the tides are turning the rock into sand. If we measure human change by this standard, Brazil’s 486-year history as colony and nation seems very short indeed, and the past few years mean almost nothing, just enough time for a few grains of sand to precipitate.