Brazil used to be all promise. Now it is beginning to deliver...

Also in this special report:

Breaking the habit: A brief history of Brazilian meltdowns.

Survival of the quickest: Frequent crises have made for strong banks and nimble financiers.

Arrivals and departures:Foreigners are investing in Brazil, Brazilian companies are going shopping abroad.

Condemned to prosperity: Brazil has learned to love its commodity sector.

The self-harming state: Companies are squeezed between an obstructive government and blackmarket competitors.

A better today: Brazil's growing middle class wants the good life, right now.

Two Americas: Brazil and the United States have more in
common than they seem to.