Issue Jun 14-20 2023: On June 14, 2023, a Guatemalan court handed down a 6-year prison sentence to José Rubén Zamora, founder of El Periódico, a newspaper critical of Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei. El Periódico went out of business on May 15 after 27 years of publication. Known as one of the founding fathers of

Issue Jun 07-13 2023: In mid-June 2023, Colombian President Gustavo Petro argued that his political opponents hope that he will face the same fate as Peru’s ousted President Pedro Castillo if Colombia’s Congress attempts to remove him from office. He lamented that they were moving to thwart his reforms and destroy him with accusations. Petro

Issue May 31-Jun 06 2023: On June 4, 2023, the state of Coahuila, along with the Estado de Mexico (commonly known as “Edomex,” Mexico’s most populous state which borders Mexico City on three sides), held gubernatorial elections. Delfina Gómez, the candidate of MORENA (El Movimiento de Renovación Nacional), the party of President Andrés Manuel López

Issue May 24-30 2023: On May 30, 2023, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva gathered South American heads of state for a “retreat” to discuss their mutual interests and seek “integration.” It was attended by the presidents of Argentina, Alberto Fernández; Bolivia, Luis Arce; Chile, Gabriel Boric; Colombia, Gustavo Petro; Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso; Guyana,

Issue May 17-23 2023: On May 17, 2023, Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso used a procedure outlined in Ecuador’s constitution that allowed him to dissolve his country’s legislature, the Asamblea Nacional, which at that moment was on the verge of impeaching him. The measure, known in Ecuador as the “Muerte Cruzada,” is translated into English as

Issue May 10-16 2023: On May 7, 2023, Chile’s far-right Partido Republicano, led by conservative lawyer José Antonio Kast (former candidate for president and an apologist for the regime of military dictator Augusto Pinochet), took 23 of 51 seats on the council that will draft a new constitution for Chile after last year’s reformed text

Issue Apr 26-May 09 2023: On April 30, 2023, Paraguayans elected a new president. They chose the candidate of the ruling right-wing Asociación Nacional Republicana (ANR, generally known as the Partido Colorado), Santiago Peña, over Efraín Alegre, leader of the center-left coalition Concertación por un Nuevo Paraguay and over the anti-establishment candidate and former Colorado

Issue Apr 19-25 2023: On April 20, 2023, Chilean President Gabriel Boric called for a new state lithium policy that would create a “public-private alliance.” Chile is the world’s second-largest lithium producer, after Australia. The new approach focuses on the creation of an Empresa Nacional del Litio, but the plan would also involve the participation

In mid-April 2023, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil, arrived in China for a widely anticipated state visit. On April 14, Lula received a grand welcome from Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Both leaders hoped to create a dynamic and provocative partnership that can

Issue Apr 05-11 2023: On April 10, 2023, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva marked the first 100 days of his third term in office. These few months were marked by his attempts to rekindle the social policies of his first two terms in office, from 2003 to 2010, and get a start on