Good morning and happy Friday.

Here are the links to the three newsletters I published this week.

• Tuesday - El Salvador - Three scenarios for Bitcoin

• Wednesday - Politics and Polls (Mexico, AMLO’s approval rating)

• Thursday - Brazil - A list of scandals

Event next week

I’ll be doing a Zoom Q&A with paying subscribers next Thursday, 16 September, at 10AM EDT. I’ll start by talking about Argentina’s elections and El Salvador’s Bitcoin experience, but will move on to address any questions that subscribers have. If you are a paying subscriber (thank you!), the link to sign up will be sent early next week. If you aren’t a paying subscriber, please consider subscribing for $9 per month.

Reading List

Bloomberg - The Problem With Latin America’s Rate Hikes: They Barely Work

New York Times - Covid Ravaged South America. Then Came a Sharp Drop in Infections.

CSIS - Is Latin America Important to China’s Foreign Policy?

WLRN - Right Now, It's Latin America Who Can Help America Regain Its Senses On Abortion

Reuters - During pandemic rebound, Latin America's working mothers fall behind

Americas Quarterly - Stalemate: The Main Outcome of Bolsonaro’s Day of Protest

Reuters - Brazil truckers block highways, Bolsonaro asks protestors to stand down

Associated Press - At Brazil rallies, Bolsonaro deepens rift with Supreme Court

Financial Times - Trump’s allies want to help Bolsonaro make Brazil great again

HuffPost - Trump’s MAGA Movement Sets Its Sights On Brazil’s Democracy

Folha - The Silent Partner: Biden wants distance from Bolsonaro – but also wants Brazil aligned against China

Bloomberg - LGBTQ Governor Who Backed Bolsonaro Now Wants Brazil's Top Job

Economist - Jair Bolsonaro fires up his fans by attacking judges

Economist - Brazil is running out of time for economic reforms

Washington Post - Brazil suspends use of millions of doses of China’s Sinovac coronavirus vaccine

Daily Beast - These ‘Mad Max’ Mega-Heists Are the Future of Brazil’s Bank Robberies

The Journal of Politics in Latin America (via SAGE Journals) - Brazil’s Stealth Military Intervention

MercoPress - Brazil terminates bilateral shipping agreements with Argentina and Uruguay

Wall Street Journal - Mexico’s President Revamps Welfare, Handing Out Cash to Millions

Crisis24 - Narco-Messages and Targeted Assassinations in Mexico Indicate Worsening Turf Wars

Bloomberg - Chip Shortage Seen Limiting Mexico Auto Output to 2020 Levels

Washington Post - Mexico’s bold break with machismo: Congress is now half female, and gender parity is the law

InSight Crime - As Marijuana Profits Dry Up, Mexico Crime Groups Turn to Alcohol and Logging

New York Times - Venezuela’s New Lettuce-Based Economy Is Good Enough for Now

Financial Times - Venezuela’s government and opposition agree efforts to ease vaccine access 

Associated Press - Cape Verde court OKs extradition to US of Venezuelan ally

Guardian - Former Venezuelan spymaster arrested by Madrid police on US drugs charges

InSight Crime - Venezuela's Smaller Gangs Carve Out Local Criminal Fiefdoms

InSight Crime - Exploring Illegal Mining in Colombia’s Amazon

Bloomberg - Lasso Fulfills Mass Ecuador Vaccination Pledge, Turns to Economy

InSight Crime - Panama Unveils Extent of Official Participation in Drug Trafficking

New York Times - ‘Everyone Is on the List’: Fear Grips Nicaragua as It Veers to Dictatorship

Reuters - Lost hope: Ortega's crackdown in Nicaragua stirs fast-growing exodus

BBC - Sergio Ramírez: Nicaragua orders arrest of award-winning author

Economist - Nayib Bukele is wrecking democracy in El Salvador

NBC - A project in El Salvador shows how China is exerting growing power in America's backyard

El Faro - Chivo es una empresa privada financiada con fondos públicos

Washington Post - Opinion: Bukele bets his political future on bitcoin. But El Salvador could end up paying the price.

WOLA - El Salvador’s Constitutional Court Paves Way for President Bukele to Seek Reelection Following Purge of Country’s Judiciary

New York Times - Guatemala Investigates Claim of Bribe Paid to Its President

Prensa Libre - Qué hay detrás del lavado de dinero que en ocho meses duplicó el monto denunciado en 2020 (Guatemala) 

NPR - The Haiti Earthquake's Latest Victim May Be The New School Year

Miami Herald - Biden administration takes first step to increase staffing at the US Embassy in Havana

CNN - Cuba begins vaccinating children as young as two for Covid-19

Wall Street Journal - Global Economic Warfare Intensifies as Military Conflict Recedes

Financial Times - Inflation splits emerging countries into doves and hawks

Upcoming events

14 September, Center for Global Development - Capital Flow Volatility in Latin America—Will Next Time Be Different?

14 September, Stimson Center - Covid, Conflict, and Climate: Food Insecurity Today and the Way Forward

14 September, WOLA - Criminalized and Incarcerated in Latin America: How the “Drug War” Drives the Region’s Prison Crisis

15 September, Atlantic Council - Central America at 200: What does the next phase of regional integration look like?

16 September - Webinar for Latin America Risk Report subscribers

17 September, WOLA - Voices from the Frontlines: Bolstering Collective Power to End the Incarceration of Women Worldwide

27 September, Wilson Center - The Last Good Neighbor: Mexico in the Global Sixties

28 September, Sibylline - Global Extremism: Understanding the Threat Landscape

5 October, Inter-American Dialogue - Fifth Annual Latin America Energy Conference – Transition and Recovery

Thanks for reading

Have a great weekend.