Latin American Weekly Report

Weekly Report - 26 March 2026 (WR-26-12)

The wreckage was probably still smouldering at the site of a military plane crash, where at least 69 people lost their lives this week, when a furious blame game began in Colombia’s political arena.

Weekly Report - 19 March 2026 (WR-26-11)

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LEADER
- Díaz-Canel admits official talks with Washington amid worsening crisis
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- VENEZUELA : Rodríguez strengthens control, deepens US ties
- ECUADOR-COLOMBIA: Border bombing raises tensions as Noboa escalates crackdown
- BOLIVIA: Marset captured and extradited to US
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- ARGENTINA: Government under pressure over transparency issues
- CHILE: Kast fires up the excavators
- BRAZIL: Diplomatic tensions with US simmer
- BRAZIL: Rate-cut cycle begins
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Sheinbaum pushes on with electoral reform
- MEXICO: A new chapter in relations with Spain?
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- HAITI: UN expert claims glimmer of hope, doubts persist
- EL SALVADOR: Bukele toughens sentences after report criticises rights abuses
POSTSCRIPT
- Peru’s candidates debate as government collapses
- Quotes of the week

After weeks of rumours, Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel has acknowledged that talks are taking place with the US administration led by President Donald Trump which, following its January military incursion in Venezuela and removal of former president Nicolás Maduro (2013-2026), has been applying unprecedented pressure to the island via an oil blockade, among other things.

Weekly Report - 12 March 2026 (WR-26-10)

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LEADER
- Petro’s coalition edges elections but moderates hold the key
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- VENEZUELA: US focus shifts to mining sector
- ECUADOR: Correísmo in existential legal battle
- PERU: Court ruling could damage Fujimori’s candidacy
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- CHILE: Kast takes office promising new order
- BRAZIL: Lawmakers ramp up calls for inquiry into Banco Master
- BRAZIL: Signs of divisions on the left
- ARGENTINA: New justice minister seeks to appoint 200 judges
- TRACKING TRENDS
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Sheinbaum defiant in face of anti-cartel coalition snub
- MEXICO: Women’s marches reflect frustrations with government
- TRACKING TRENDS
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- GUATEMALA: Appointment process concludes for key courts
POSTSCRIPT
- Jurists warn of possible crimes against humanity in El Salvador
- Quotes of the week

Colombia’s ruling Pacto Histórico performed better than any left-wing coalition in the country’s history in congressional elections on 8 March and will be the largest bloc in both the senate and the lower chamber of congress when new senators and deputies take their seats in July.

Weekly Report - 05 March 2026 (WR-26-09)

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LEADER
- Milei hitches fortune to US in key address to congress
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- PERU: Balcázar delays vote of confidence
- VENEZUELA: Machado plans her return
- ECUADOR: US military steps in as Noboa escalates war on crime
- BOLIVIA: Deadly plane crash litters El Alto with money
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- BRAZIL: Emboldened Bolsonaro holds rally in São Paulo
- BRAZIL: Government promises aid for Minas Gerais
- TRACKING TRENDS
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Electoral reform tests Morena allies
- MEXICO: Massive security presence for El Mencho funeral
- TRACKING TRENDS
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- REGION-CUBA: Rubio attends Caricom summit amid regional divisions
- HAITI: Fils-Aimé hails signing of new governance agreement
POSTSCRIPT
- EU-Mercosur trade deal gets go-ahead
- Quotes of the week

“A new world order is being configured,” Argentina’s President Javier Milei said in his state-of-the-nation address to a joint session of congress on 1 March, adding that the way the country inserted itself into this “will determine [its] destiny”.

Weekly Report - 26 February 2026 (WR-26-08)

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LEADER
- El Mencho killing boosts Sheinbaum but could herald upsurge in violence
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- VENEZUELA: Imperfect amnesty bill marks step towards political reform
- PERU: Balcázar faces rocky start with corruption trial looming
- BOLIVIA: Morales resurfaces
- ECUADOR: Noboa imposes spending limits on local government
- COLOMBIA: Petro claims voting system is flawed
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- BRAZIL: Top court sentences killers of Marielle Franco
- BRAZIL: Lula signs deals with Asian partners
- ARGENTINA: Government sees political opportunity
- CHILE: A cable twist for Kast?
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- CUBA: Renewed focus on Helms-Burton Act as US piles on pressure
- HONDURAS: Asfura holds talks with IMF
- TRACKING TRENDS
POSTSCRIPT
- Panama recovers control of ports at heart of US-China tensions
- Quotes of the week

Mexico’s security forces took out the country’s most powerful drug kingpin, Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, the leader of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), on 22 February.

Weekly Report - 19 February 2026 (WR-26-07)

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LEADER
- Peru goes full circle as Jerí ousted and PL back in power
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- VENEZUELA: Anti-regime protests spring up as fear dissipates
- ECUADOR: Leading opposition mayor arrested
- TRACKING TRENDS
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- ARGENTINA: CGT launches general strike over labour reform
- CHILE: Boric and Kast at loggerheads
- BRAZIL: Banco Master case judge faces rising pressure
- BRAZIL: Opposition rages over Lula Carnival tribute
- TRACKING TRENDS
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Shoring up Canadian trade ties
- MEXICO: Drama at the education ministry
- TRACKING TRENDS
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- GUATEMALA: Victories for Arévalo as key appointment process kicks off
- PANAMA: Mulino dealt setback
POSTSCRIPT
- Benedetti launches campaign for constituent assembly
- Quotes of the week

Parties from across the political spectrum in Peru voted to remove President José Jerí from power on 17 February.

Weekly Report - 12 February 2026 (WR-26-06)

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LEADER
- Cuba feeling the strain as US heaps pressure on Mexico
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- VENEZUELA: Re-arrests offer a warning to released political prisoners
- COLOMBIA: Senators targeted by armed groups
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- URUGUAY: Still the best despite sharpest fall
- CHILE: Kast risks upsetting parties by picking independents
- ARGENTINA: Labour reform moves forward in senate
- ARGENTINA: Government secures US trade and investment deal
- BRAZIL: Debates over public sector salary perks fuel tensions
- BRAZIL: Inflation tempers optimism over imminent rate cuts
- TRACKING TRENDS
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Trouble in Tequila
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- HAITI: PM assumes control as CPT’s mandate ends
- HONDURAS: Asfura meets Trump
POSTSCRIPT
- Bolivia’s fuel saga takes on new dimension
- Quotes of the week

Cuba’s government was forced to issue a warning this week to international airlines that they would be unable to refuel on the island for at least a month due to fuel shortages.

Weekly Report - 05 February 2026 (WR-26-05)

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LEADER
- Fernández cruises to victory in Costa Rica
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- COLOMBIA: Petro strikes rapport with Trump
- ECUADOR: Correísmo hit with campaign finance investigation
- VENEZUELA: Rodríguez meets key opposition demand with amnesty bill
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- BRAZIL: Lula seeks reset as congress returns from recess
- ARGENTINA: Political battle over inflation stats
- TRACKING TRENDS
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Violence surges in Sinaloa
- MEXICO: Shake-up for Morena in the senate
- TRACKING TRENDS
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- PANAMA: China blasts court ruling striking down key ports concession
- CUBA: Washington tightens the screws
- TRACKING TRENDS
POSTSCRIPT
- Kast foreign visits focused on migration and security
- Quotes of the week

Laura Fernández won Costa Rica’s presidential elections at a canter on 1 February.

Weekly Report - 29 January 2026 (WR-26-04)

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LEADER
- Efforts to dismiss Haiti’s prime minister draw condemnation
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- VENEZUELA: Rubio says democratic transition will take time
- PERU: Jerí clinging on
- ECUADOR-COLOMBIA: Trade war erupts over claims of security negligence
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- CHILE: Kast cabinet both diverse and controversial
- BRAZIL: Lula walks tightrope on US relations
- BRAZIL: Far-right lawmakers lead demonstration in Brasília
- TRACKING TRENDS
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Football massacre showcases Guanajuato insecurity
- MEXICO: SCJN austerity in question
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- HONDURAS: Trump-backed candidate assumes office
- COSTA RICA: Fernández closes in on victory
POSTSCRIPT
- Argentina’s unions to square off against Milei
- Quotes of the week

With days to go until the 7 February deadline for the mandate of Haiti’s transitional presidential council (CPT) to end, the nine-member body has sparked international condemnation over its decision to eject Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé.

Weekly Report - 22 January 2026 (WR-26-03)

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LEADER
- Machado goes on charm offensive as Venezuela debates oil reforms
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- COLOMBIA: Catatumbo and Trump
- PERU: Jerí on the defensive over Chifagate
- TRACKING TRENDS
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- REGION: EU-Mercosur deal plunged into uncertainty
- BRAZIL: Bolsonaro transferred to new prison
- TRACKING TRENDS
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Concerns build over US military intervention
- TRACKING TRENDS
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- GUATEMALA: Arévalo declares state of siege amid gang violence
- HAITI: Targeting top gang leader as key deadline approaches
- COSTA RICA: Bukele pays another controversial visit to San José
POSTSCRIPT
- Can Rivadeneira pull Ecuador’s opposition together?
- Quotes of the week

Significant change may be coming for Venezuela’s oil sector after legislators began debating a reform to the country’s hydrocarbon law on 22 January.

Weekly Report - 15 January 2026 (WR-26-02)

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LEADER
- Trump’s dream of Venezuelan oil bonanza met with scepticism
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- COLOMBIA: Petro prepares to meet Trump as polls sour
- BOLIVIA: The short life of decree 5,503
- ECUADOR: Judge resigns over corruption case
- PERU: More protests over extortion
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- CHILE: Kast’s migrant plan encounters obstacles
- BRAZIL: Lula vetoes bill to reduce jail time for insurrectionists
- BRAZIL: New minister for justice and security
- TRACKING TRENDS
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Sheinbaum goes direct to Trump
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- HONDURAS: Tensions rise as Castro and congress order recount
- CUBA: Another domino ready to fall?
- COSTA RICA: Frontrunner makes rare debate appearance
POSTSCRIPT
- Can Argentina’s government take the sting out of inflation?
- Quotes of the week

Nearly two weeks on from the US military raid on Caracas to seize former president Nicolás Maduro (2013-2026), Venezuelans are facing the prospect of their country being pulled tightly into Washington’s orbit without any corresponding democratisation process, at least in the short term.

Weekly Report - 08 January 2026 (WR-26-01)

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LEADER
- Big stick back as US swoops to seize Maduro
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- COLOMBIA: Petro seeks to mend ties with Trump amid military threat
- ECUADOR: Homicides hit all-time high in 2025
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- BRAZIL: Lula faces diplomatic dilemma over Venezuela
- BRAZIL: Institutions clash over controversial bank
- ARGENTINA: Milei seeks to hit ground running in 2026
- TRACKING TRENDS
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Sheinbaum walks tightrope with US
- MEXICO: Morena under pressure over megaproject safety
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- HONDURAS: Asfura confirmed winner, challenges await
POSTSCRIPT
- Leading contender faces electoral ban in Peru
- Quotes of the week

The significance of events can often be diluted by hyperbole, but it is no exaggeration to describe the US decision to mount a military operation to seize Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as a seminal moment.