The escape on July 11, 2015 by Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, a.k.a. “El Chapo,” from the high security Mexican prison Penal Federal del Altiplano I, has slammed the credibility of Mexico’s already distrusted federal government.  The first time El Chapo escaped from a federal lockup occurred January 19, 2001, when he broke out of the

The head of Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, the CNE, finally announced that the election for all 167 seats in the National Assembly will be held on December 6, 2015, and that electoral campaigns will begin on November 13 and must end on December 3.  The announcement ended a cycle of uncertainty and recrimination in which

On June 7, 2015 Mexico held elections to elect 500 federal deputies, 9 governors, and 1000 mayors.  In the midst of violence and pernicious narco influences, many observers were worried about electoral manipulation and vote suppression, as well as absenteeism.  President Enrique Peña Nieto’s ruling PRI party managed to eke out a victory, in the

The assassinated Archbishop of El Salvador, Óscar Arnulfo Romero, moved one giant step down the road toward sainthood with his beatification by the Roman Catholic Church on May 23, 2015.  The event occasioned celebrations throughout Latin America, and many observers argue that it revealed the radical nature of changes that Pope Francis is carrying out in

Guatemala’s government faced an expanding wave of criticism that left Vice President Roxana Baldetti particularly isolated after revelations of a multimillion dollar corruption scheme.   On April 17 a joint operation of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), the national police, and the Guatemalan Attorney General’s Office led to the arrest of current and

When reading the murky tealeaves of Argentina’s PASO primary elections (primarias abiertas simultáneas y obligatorias) in Salta, Mendoza, Santa Fe and the city of Buenos Aires in April, various political soothsayers attempted to divine their implications for the presidential election later this year.  Prophecies revolved around each prognosticator’s attitude concerning the left-leaning Peronista bloc of outgoing

U.S. President Barack Obama traveled to Panama for the Summit of the Americas where the region’s leaders awaited his encounter with President Raúl Castro of Cuba with intense interest and anticipation.  There were also concerns over his potentially uncomfortable interaction with President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela.  It was expected to be one of the most

Just months into her second term, the Brazilian president faces a political and economic crisis driven by vocal (but not necessarily united) opposition forces, a scandal at the state-owned oil company (Petrobras), and a faltering economy.  The Petrobras corruption case and proposed fiscal adjustments have taken a toll on her approval numbers throughout the country. 

On March 9, 2015 U.S. President Barack Obama issued an executive order that declared Venezuela a national security threat to the United States, and also ordered sanctions against seven specific current or former officials under Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.  According to the White House, the move was meant as a measured response to target people

While Venezuela’s economic situation seems to teeter closer to the edge, its highly antagonistic political atmosphere also continues to worsen.  As President Nicolás Maduro’s approval numbers have fallen into the low twenties, he has repeatedly blamed the nation’s troubles on international conspiracies (largely originating in the United States) linked to the domestic political opposition.  He