Friday Reading List - 21 March 2025
Filling out the survey will make you happier
Good morning.
Yesterday’s newsletter had about 5,000 readers. And only 50 of you responded to the survey. I’m considering changes to the newsletter based on the responses I get, even if it’s only a 1% response rate. So if you have opinions on the newsletter, please share them by clicking this link.
This week’s articles and newsletters
Monday - US Policy in LatAm - 17 March 2025 - Comments on deportations, Bukele, the Panama Canal, and more.
Tuesday - Mexico Security Note - March 2025
Wednesday - Bolivia - The opposition unites but fails to capture the center
Thursday - Six Stories - No paywall this week because I want you to respond to the survey!
The Tuesday newsletter and Friday list of links remain free and without a paywall. Paying subscribers receive more content.
Thanks to everyone who reads.
Reading List
International Crisis Group - Drug Trafficking in Latin America - I highlighted the report last week. This is a nice visualization
Washington Post - Trump’s aid freeze hampers anti-narcotics programs in Latin America
Bloomberg - USAID Cuts Imperil Free Press, Human-Rights Advocacy in Autocracies
Colombia Risk Analysis - Colombia-Russia Relations
NYT - The Hidden Cost of Trump’s Trade War on China
NYT - Trump Is Alienating Mexico at the United States’ Peril
WSJ - Eggs Are So Expensive People Are Smuggling Them in From Mexico
CNN - El desafío de algunas petroleras estatales latinoamericanas para lograr rentabilidad
BBC - Ecopetrol: Whistleblower reveals Colombia oil giant's ‘awful’ pollution
Armando.info - Un marajá petrolero recibe ofrendas de fauna venezolana
Oil Price - Chevron Out, Black Market In? The Fallout of U.S. Sanctions on Venezuela
NYT - ‘Welcome to Hell’: Five Months in a Venezuelan Prison
NYT - In Deportations, Trump Tied Gang to Venezuela’s Government. Intelligence Contradicts Him.
Transparencia - Venezuela es un eje clave del narcotráfico global: Más de USD 8.200 millones fue el ingreso bruto por drogas en 2024
Bloomberg - Cheap Chinese Cars Are Taking Over Roads From Brazil to South Africa - The growth of BYD and other Chinese electric vehicles is a megatrend in LatAm that will impact every country
Reuters - BRICS, planes and beef in spotlight as Brazil's Lula visits Vietnam, sources say
La Silla Vacia - Interceptaciones revelan tráfico de influencias del abogado élite del gobierno Petro
Confidencial - Ortega y Murillo fracasan en un nuevo intento por dirigir el SICA
World Politics Review - After Pension Reforms, Mulino’s Next Hurdle Is the Cobre Panama Mine
QuantFury - The Panama Canal is once again at the center of a struggle and should be noticed
Dialogue Earth - As Panama Canal dam project looms, communities face up to floods
AP - Deportees from the US hop embassy to embassy in Panama in a desperate scramble to seek asylum
CSIS - Science, Cooperation, and Winter Uniforms: The Role of South American Militaries in Antarctica
WLRN - Oopsie! Is El Salvador the future of Trump's America? You bet your Bukele
Wilson Center - Lessons from Costa Rica’s Economic Transformation
Miami Herald - Rubio will make first official visit to Caribbean next week as secretary of state
NYT - After $30 Million in U.S. Aid, Haiti’s Biggest Hospital Goes Up in Smoke
AP - Antigua's leader rejects allegations that his government withheld details of yacht sale and proceeds
The Atlantic - What the Border-Hawk Catholics Get Wrong
WSJ - War-Torn Congo Has a Deal for Trump: Kick Out Rebels, Get Minerals
WSJ - The Last Decision of Daniel Kahneman, the World’s Leading Thinker on Decisions - This was the article I read last week that will stick with me for a long time.
Upcoming events
24 March, Atlantic Council - How Beijing lures Taiwan's diplomatic partners into switching recognition
25 March, Inter-American Dialogue - Launch of the Regional Repository of Chinese Investments in Latin America
26 March, Atlantic Council - Evaluating the US-Colombia commercial relationship
31 March, Wilson Center - The Future of Haiti
3 April, Wilson Center - The North American Tariff Landscape
10 April, CSIS - Cultivating Competitiveness: Positioning North America as a Strategic Agricultural Bloc
17 April, Wilson Center - Brazil’s Critical Minerals and their Role in the Global Energy Transition
Thanks for reading
The World Happiness Report says Finland is the happiest country in the world yet again. That means it’s a great day to check in on some of the music by Finnish metal bands that make the country so happy!
Once by Nightwish
Shadows of the Dying Sun by Insomnium
An Evening with Friends at Huvila (Live) by Amorphis
Costa Rica and Mexico made the top ten list of the world’s happiest countries. The least happiest countries in the hemisphere are Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and Bolivia. However, to be fair, they did not poll Haiti or Cuba.
Have a great weekend!
