[Arlis]

No, I believe it is the culture.

I’ve spent a lot of time in Brasil and my Portuguese is good enough that the Brazilians think I am Brazilian - if they don’t talk to me for more than 10 minutes! I love the country, have been all over it, and I love the people more than anywhere I’ve been in the world, and I’ve been all over.

But it’s almost impossible to get anything done in Brazil. Time does not exist - they say, “Don’t take a watch to Brazil -it’s useless.” If you call a meeting of 5, no one will be there at the time set, two will arrive 30 min. late, 2 between an hour and 1 1/2hours late, and one will not show and not call to notify. It is normal and accepted.

Even honest Brazillians will tell you that when you enter a contract in the USA, you fully expect every party to honor the contract, and it’s the exception to not do so.

In Brazil, you expect everyone in a contract to break it in one or many ways - to cheat, steal, lie - or not perform. So you plan accordingly.

I could give many more examples, but these make the point.

Corruption in business and government is endemic and accepted as normal.

It’s amazing that they even got 30% done......

[Roman_War_Criminal]

I think you are right. My wife is Cuban—don’t even get me started there.
Cuban time is nothing like normal time. To be honest, South Americans are horrible for punctuality. While I’m Spanish, I operate on “German-time” for whatever reason. So it drives me insane the lack of urgency that these cultures have.
Brazil hosting anything is laughable at best—heck, we joke on Mexicans, but they’ve hosted two of the best World Cups ever. IMO, the Mexicans followed by Chileans are the most capable nations for getting things done.

[driftless2]

I used to work for a major American corporation. One time one of the top executives was sent to Brazil to help oversee the company's operations at a plant there.

When the guy and his family returned after a few years, he said while the experience overall was a good one, they quickly learned to tell their family members back in the U.S. to not send gift packages through the Brazilian postal system.

If they did get a package from the national po, much of the time the contents had been removed. Many times the packages never arrived. Obviously, people who worked for the Brazilian postal system were tampering with or stealing the contents.

[USS Alaska]

In Brazil, you expect everyone in a contract to break it in one or many ways - to cheat, steal, lie - or not perform.

And you like these thieves, cheaters and liars more than anyone else in the world...and you've been every where...hmmm...birds of a feather.