Smoldering tensions between Chile and Peru flared after Santiago reacted angrily to President Ollanta Humala of Peru’s unilateral decision on November 7, 2015 to create a new district, called LaYarada-Los Palos, inside a disputed border region.  The Chilean government, rejecting the actionwhich tore open a century-old dispute, insisted that the district “unquestionably includes Chilean territory”

The first round of Argentina’s presidential election in late October surprised observers across the political spectrum.  The official Peronista candidate did not win outright, and even seems to be vulnerable in the November runoff.  It has generated much talk of the different economic and political models in play, even as other pundits argue that there

The presidential race in Argentina will go to a second round in November, as the Peronista forces split between the official Frente para la Victoria and the dissident Unidos por una Nueva Alternativa.  In Colombia, governors and mayors were chosen as the nation considers its post-armed struggle political landscape.  Yet even as a peace deal

The final months of 2015 will see many important elections in the region. On October 25 Argentina had its first round of presidential elections, along with general legislative and local elections, Guatemala had the second round of its presidential contest, and Colombia had local elections.  On December 6 Venezuela will hold its legislative elections.  In

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Eduardo Cunha, the president of the lower chamber of Brazil’s congress (Câmara dos Deputados), remain locked in a circling death match as they grapple with impeachment on the one side and forceful calls for resignation on the other.  Both have been caught, to differing degrees, in the fallout of the

President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leader Rodrigo Londoño announced that within six months a final peace agreement should be signed.  Their optimism was based in large part on their agreement over how to deal with the issue of war crimes in the almost 70 years of conflict.  The still tentative understanding involves a controversial

On September 26, 2014, 43 student teachers from the Escuela Normal Rural “Raúl Isidrio Burgos” in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero were abducted in mass near Iguala, Guerrero.  They had commandeered several buses to travel to Iguala so they could protest at a rally led by María de Los Angeles Pineda Villa, the wife of Iguala’s mayor, José

While the first Latin American pontiff paid his first visit to Cuba from September 19-22, 2015, the region’s media paid close attention.  Pope Francis spoke of the Church’s role in society, but offered only subtle criticisms of his Cuban hosts, disappointing pundits who had hoped he would make overt calls for greater social and political

Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López was sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison on charges of inciting the 2014 anti-government protests that spiraled into violence and claimed the lives of more than 40 people.  Many observers characterized the proceedings as a classic show trial, and called López a “political prisoner” and a “prisoner of conscience.”

To the surprise of many pundits, television comedian Jimmy Morales shot out of the pack to take a significant lead (with about 24%) in the first round of Guatemala’s presidential election on September 6, 2015.  Guatemalans were in an anti-establishment mood just days after sitting President Otto Pérez Molina resigned and was arrested on corruption