Good morning. Happy Friday.

I published four newsletters this week.

• Monday - El Salvador - Bukele's party wins

• Tuesday - Region - Coronavirus scandals and failures

• Wednesday - Politics and Polls (Peru, Argentina, Mexico)

• Thursday - Region - Flexibility from the IMF

Tuesday’s newsletter was free. Yes, I also created a joke map related to the newsletter that was posted to Twitter.

Thanks to all the paying subscribers who support this newsletter. If you find value in this newsletter and want additional content, please consider subscribing for $9 per month. 

Reading List

Financial Times - Poverty surge sets Latin America back over a decade, says UN

Economist - Vaccination is going well in Chile. Why not its neighbours?

Miami Herald - UNICEF: Kids in Latin America and the Caribbean are missing more school than anywhere else in the globe

Responsible Statecraft - Finally addressing the root causes of mass migration from Central America

War on the Rocks - Kill The Drug War: Death, Decisions, And The Limits Of Military Power

New York Times - Brazil’s Covid Crisis Is a Warning to the Whole World, Scientists Say

Washington Post - Much of the world is seeing coronavirus cases fall. But Brazil’s outbreak is worse than ever.

InSight Crime - Chasing Brazil’s Premier Money Launderer

Folha - Flávio Bolsonaro compra mansão em Brasília por R$ 6 milhões

Los Angeles Times - Where are Mexico’s disappeared? Many have been in government graves all along

New York Times - Rape Allegations Divide Mexico’s Governing Party

Vice - On the Front Line of Mexico’s Forever War Against the Cartels

Vice - Criminals Are Profiting From a Major Oxygen Shortage in Mexico City

CNN - Whole towns are refusing Covid-19 vaccines in Mexico

Weekly Asado, Wilson Center - Fueling Conflict

Washington Post - To Survive Pandemic Food Shortages, Venezuelans Go Back to the Land

Bloomberg - One Airline Had a Great 2020: Maduro’s State-Controlled Carrier

Reuters - Mali, Emirates facilitated Venezuelan gold trade in 2020, opposition says

Atlantic Council - New Atlantic Council poll: Insights on Venezuelan and Cuban American sentiments regarding US policy toward Venezuela

InSight Crimes - Colectivos Ramp Up Property Seizures in Venezuela

BBC - The midwives braving armed gangs in Colombia

InSight Crime - Criminal Groups Clear Colombia’s Forests One Hectare at a Time

International Crisis Group - Deeply Rooted: Coca Eradication and Violence in Colombia

El Tiempo - Bogotá: roban Rolex a alto funcionario de la Dirección de Inteligencia

Financial Times - Ecuador’s exporters caught between US and China after debt deal

Foreign Policy - El Salvador’s Homicide Rate Hit a Historic Low in 2020

Reuters - Exclusive: U.S. House Democrats urge Biden to revert to Obama-era Cuba detente

Miami Herald - Thousands march against Moïse, kidnappings and U.N. in Haiti during large protest

BBC - Dominican Republic announces plans for Haiti border fence

Wall Street Journal - Covid-19 Vaccines Yield Breakthroughs in Long-Term Fight Against Infectious Disease

Wall Street Journal - India Suspects China May Be Behind Major Mumbai Blackout

Upcoming events

8 March, Inter-American Dialogue - Elections and Institutional Crisis in El Salvador

9 March, Inter-American Dialogue - What Will It Take to Salvage Cuba’s Economy?

9 March, Wilson Center - Closing the Gender Gap: Empowering Women’s Economic Participation

10 March, AS/COA - Building Post-COVID Supply Chains: Japan and the Americas

11 March, Center for Global Development - Desde el desplazamiento al desarrollo: Retos y oportunidades para refugiados y migrantes en Perú

16 March, Insight Crime - A Deep Dive Into Argentina´s Criminal Dynamics and Its Borders

18 March, Inter-American Dialogue - Results-Based Budgeting for Early Childhood Development – The Case of Peru

23 March, Insight Crime - A Deep Dive into El Salvador’s Criminal Dynamics and Its Borders

23 March, Inter-American Dialogue - Prospects for Brazil-Japan-US Cooperation in a Shifting International Political Environment

Thanks for reading

Really. Thanks to everyone who read and shared the newsletter this week. Thanks to everyone who has encouraged their friends and colleagues and social media followers to subscribe or sign up for the free updates.

Have a great weekend!