Mexico has had a surprisingly good year, with a promising outlook ahead that contrasts starkly with many of its peers, both in Latin America and around the world. But Mexico is no stranger to being in the economic spotlight, raising questions about whether this so-called Mexican Moment is poised to last longer than just a moment.
Nearly 1 million people have been displaced in eastern Congo since rebels from the March 23 Movement, or M23, reemerged in early 2022 after having been dormant for almost a decade. Since then, the insurgency has caused humanitarian needs in the area to skyrocket, while raising thorny questions about regional stability.
Peru has been struggling to regain its footing after facing a multitude of political crises and taking a devastating hit from the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the country is bracing for yet another blow with the potential to inflict more serious damage and worsen political tensions: the climate phenomenon known as El Nino.
Just over a year ago, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos took office, marking a stunning comeback for his family’s notorious dynasty and triggering concerns among opposition figures and many foreign observers. But over his first year in office, Marcos has embraced a politics of prudence, adopting a traditional policy outlook.
Upon taking office in January 2022, Honduran President Xiomara Castro promised to demilitarize public security. Instead, after a series of high-profile episodes of violence, she has mimicked the rhetoric and methods employed by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, hoping to exploit its apparent efficacy, but especially its popular appeal.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s foreign policy moves almost always have a domestic angle, and his pivot back to the West since his reelection in May, as well as his return to orthodox economic policies, could all be aimed at one goal: winning favor with urban voters ahead of the 2024 municipal elections.
Over the past two decades, Iran has used its political influence in Baghdad to consolidate a strong position in various sectors of Iraq’s economy. Now competition for investments in Iraq, and the economic influence that goes along with them, has become increasingly intense, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE leading the charge.
The failed rebellion by Yevgeny Prigozhin in late June has created uncertainty about the Wagner Group’s future operations in Africa. U.S. and European policymakers should focus on making Wagner unviable should it try to regroup from the debacle back home, while building an approach to do the same when Russia tries again with other outfits.
Long before disruptive populists became a feature of democratic politics, Argentinian voters had lived through multiple experiences with the type. Now, as the country prepares to choose a new president, a flamboyant new political bomb-thrower is vying for the top job. But corruption accusations could unravel his candidacy.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s approach to the War on Drugs has proven far less radical than he promised—and less intelligible as well. But despite the obstacles to a total overhaul of Bogota’s strategy, a confluence of circumstances in both Colombia and the U.S. may offer a unique opportunity for drug policy reform.
Spain’s right-wing People’s Party is poised for victory in Sunday’s elections, but to return to power, it will have to form a coalition government with the far-right Vox party. Though most associated with its anti-immigration stance, Vox is also hostile to Spain’s long-established consensus around gender equality and LGBTQ rights.
When Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced last Friday that his government had collapsed, few people were surprised. The four-party coalition he led was an ill-fitting amalgamation of contradictory agendas. Rutte’s declaration that he would end his political career, however, sent a jolt through the country—and Europe.
In April, Indonesian security forces engaged in a shootout with Islamist militants belonging to Jemaah Islamiyah, the group that carried out the 2002 Bali bombings. Though Indonesia has had success in combating homegrown terror groups, it still faces an uphill task in keeping Jemaah Islamiyah—and the ISIS-affiliated JAD—at bay.
Lebanon’s financial crisis, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Beirut Port explosion, has pushed the country into a slow-burning collapse. Now, given Lebanon’s sectarian political system and history of internal conflict, the state’s inability to properly fund its armed forces could result in a rapid deterioration of security.
The U.S. holds leverage in efforts to ensure that Venezuela’s presidential election next year free and fair enough to advance a democratic transition. But due to a trust deficit, governments that are in a better position to prod Caracas into permitting a credible election must work to complement Washington’s efforts.
When Myanmar’s junta responded to peaceful demonstrations against their 2021 coup with a bloody crackdown, the opposition turned to armed resistance. In recent months, the conflict has been escalating, and the ruthlessness of Myanmar’s military has greatly intensified. Still mostly below the world’s radar, Myanmar’s civil war is raging.
The AfD party’s current success in Germany was built on social trends that had already become entrenched before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Rather than reflecting a sudden break from the moderate center right, the AfD offered a viable political home for far-right milieus that had always been lurking at the edge of party politics.