Political polarization is not exactly new in Latin America, but it has sharply intensified. The next possible flashpoint is Bolivia, where political, economic, ethnic and regional divisions have exploded in the past and threaten to do so again, over an arcane but combustible issue: When should the country hold its national census?
Of all the autocrats who have managed to secure their survival by providing “stability” in a volatile region, Cameroonian President Paul Biya has arguably proven the most skilled. But the structural pressures currently building up around Biya indicate how misguided it is to rely on authoritarian systems to sustain political stability.
In May 2022, Australia’s Labor Party swept back to power with promises to get down to the business of modern climate leadership, and they’ve largely followed through on that promise. But the Labor Party faces an even more daunting challenge in its bid for global climate leadership: Australia is a major fossil fuel exporter.