So asserts Joshua Goodman in La Nación of Buenos Aires.  The dream of the late President Hugo Chávez was to use Venezuela’s oil wealth to spread the influence of his “revolution” throughout Latin America.  The dream seems to be “fading under the weight of an economic crisis.” 

Buenos Aires Herald reported that Argentina’s automotive industry saw sharp falls in November compared to the same month of the previous year,

In La República of Lima Alejandra Cruz Cuevas reported that Latin America has the lowest level of value-added manufacturing growth in the world.   

Prensa Libre of Guatemala City reported that Panama continued to follow a path of economic prosperity and development in 2013. 

In O Globo of Rio de Janeiro Carlos Alberto Sardenberg contemplated the disappointing trajectory of the Brazilian economy

In early December 2013 Uruguay became the first country to decriminalize the production and sale of marijuana. 

Paulo de Tarso Lyra says in Correio Braziliense of Brasilia that close to finishing her third year in office and on the eve of a reelection campaign, President Dilma Rousseff is hustling to have the largest possible bunch of achievements to put before the electorate. 

Colombia’s Inspector General’s Office, led by Alejandro Ordóñez, used its power to dismiss Bogota’s mayor, Gustavo Petro, and even went on to bar him from public office for 15 years, all over “irregularities” concerning the city’s waste collection. 

President Enrique Peña Nieto took office a year ago intent on reforming Mexico’s economy even though he had no majority in Congress, and faced charges that he stole the election. 

In La Tercera of Santiago Constanza Cortés Miquel noted the huge, nationwide victory celebrations marking the successful end of the Michelle Bachelet reelection campaign.