Brazil's Rousseff undone by hubris, economic missteps

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff smiles during a meeting with Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Luis Almagro (not pictured) in Brasilia, Brazil, May 10, 2016. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Minutes after taking her oath of office in 2011, President Dilma Rousseff stood before Congress and pledged to end the dirty back-room deals and kickback schemes at the heart of Brazilian politics.

"Corruption will be combated ceaselessly, and the entities that control and investigate these matters will have my full backing," she vowed.