Last Friday, Argentine President Alberto Fernandez announced he would not seek reelection, leaving the country’s wide-open presidential race even more uncertain. Both the Peronist camp and the center-right opposition are now without a clear candidate, but whoever becomes Argentina’s next president will have their work cut out for them.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s appointment of Gen. Henry Sanabria as the national police chief last August was meant to start a new chapter in the country’s policing. Sanabria was tapped to help usher in an era of enlightened public safety under the progressive Petro. But the script didn’t unfold as expected.
U.S. policy in Latin America is now strongly shaped by the question of China’s involvement and influence there. But while the U.S. will not convince countries to turn away from Beijing, it could help governments negotiate a better and more fair playing field, for China and other foreign powers operating in their countries.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric is anxious to convince voters he is serious about combatting a surge in violent crime, but his administration is divided over how to tackle it. After three police officers were slain in a span of 23 days since mid-March, Boric is now facing a political backlash that has sidetracked his domestic agenda.
Instead of the major economic crisis that was previously predicted, Latin America appears to be in a period of stagflation—growing too slowly to meet populations’ needs, with high but not crisis-level inflation. But several presidents are now questioning the independence of the central banks, a potential warning sign to the region.
One hundred days into his new term in office, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is returning to familiar policy approaches in an effort to restore Brazil’s regional and global leadership. But a difficult domestic political and economic environment may constrain his foreign policy ambitions.
Former President Donald Trump’s indictment last week may have left the U.S. in uncharted waters. But the rest of the Western Hemisphere provides plenty of lessons for what happens when a former president is indicted. While a successful trial and conviction is possible, not all cases end the political careers of former leaders.