How far will American interference in Brazil's election go?

The threat of US interference has been a defining story of Brazil's presidential campaign so far. Washington has taken one hostile measure after another against the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva while offering flattering deference to his opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro.

Washington's preference for a Latin America run by leaders in tune with the American far right is no secret. Across most of South America, that is already the case. Lula remains a splinter lodged in that conservative weave, working its way deeper, and October's election presents itself as the chance to dig it out.