tweinstein, assuming that the information on the blogs are correct, some are living abroad (not only in the US but also Europe) but others are in Brazil, including in Rio. As for the comments, it is virtually impossible to know where the people are, except in the few cases where they mention this.
As for blaming the US, I live abroad and it is true that the US is somewhat seen as a paper tiger now-a-days, but that cannot be the excuse for a country not abiding by an INTERNATIONAL TREATY. Besides, what's the excuse in François' case? And in all the other cases affecting citizens of other countries? Personally, I just think that because Brazil sees the children of Brazilian citizens as Brazilian, they side with the Brazilian parent and just ignore international law. I don't think it has anything to do with wanting to "stand up" to the States, but this is just my personal opinion.
I'd be curious to know whether the majority of blogs in Portuguese are from people living INSIDE or OUTSIDE of Brazil. I'm sure that the attitude of Cubans living in Miami is very different from Cubans living in Cuba. (Note: I'm NOT implying anything about Brazilians by using Cuba as a comparison)
When I speak to my wife's family in Brazil about my ongoing fight, they actually place a lot of blame on the United States government for Brazil's non-compliance. They feel that it is not so much a cultural reason, but simply because their government doesn't like the U.S. To this I reply, "Then why doesn't Brazil send back children to Canada, Australia, etc?"