Lula da Silva is an international superstar. Foreign journalists and politicians have fawned over his accomplishments and hailed his “transformation” of Brazil into an economic powerhouse. Barack Obama calls him “the most popular politician on earth.” A recent poll found that his approval rating is an incredible 83 percent. As he prepares to leave office, the Brazilian president can take great pride in the progress his country has made.

But let’s not forget that Brazil’s transformation began long before Lula was elected. His predecessor, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, was the one who truly launched the process of reforming the Brazilian state and implementing orthodox economic policies. For the most part, Lula has followed these same pragmatic policies, even though he spent his career as a labor leader championing radical leftism. He has also expanded Bolsa Família, a successful anti-poverty program begun under Cardoso. Both Lula and Cardoso have shown that a market-based economic agenda is not incompatible with generous social spending and poverty reduction. The World Bank reports that overall Brazilian inequality fell by nearly 4.6 percent between 1995 and 2004.