The worst of the coronavirus pandemic has receded considerably in countries with high vaccination rates, despite the new challenge posed by the more contagious delta variant. So far, this mostly means that rich countries are finding it possible to restart their economies safely, while lower- and middle-income countries, whose populations continue to be brutally battered by the pandemic, are struggling with massive public health demands, along with the economic and political crises ignited or worsened by COVID-19. Nowhere is this relentless predicament more urgent than in Latin America, which is why multilateral organizations are urging the rich nations that have [...]
Last week, the authoritarian government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced it would allow the country’s main opposition coalition to compete in regional and municipal elections that are scheduled for November, lifting an electoral ban that was first imposed in 2018. It was one of several concessions Maduro has made recently, signaling his desire to improve his global image and seek sanctions relief from the United States. The lifting of the electoral ban on the Democratic Unity Roundtable, or MUD, came as government and opposition representatives prepare to restart direct negotiations, with a new round of Norway-brokered talks reportedly set to take [...]
Beginning April 28, Colombians took to the streets for weeks of mass protests that nearly brought the economy to a standstill. The strikes and rallies were sparked by an unpopular tax reform proposal, but the roots of the unrest lie in a starkly unequal system that, to many poor and middle-class Colombians, seems rigged against them. While organizers have announced a temporary pause in their activities, further demonstrations are planned for later in the month. On the Trend Lines podcast this week, Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst for Colombia at the International Crisis Group, joined WPR’s Elliot Waldman from Bogota to [...]
