Good morning and happy Friday!
This week’s World Politics Review column discussed Russia successful effort to pressure Ecuador and avoid a transfer or weapons to Ukraine. Analysts often talk about US sanctions, but this event is a warning shot in how Russia and potentially China can use economic coercion to influence the region’s role in global political events.
This week, Venezuela announced it will hold elections on July 28. With Panama on May 5, the Dominican Republic on May 19 and Mexico on June 2, this is going to be a busy few months of elections for the hemisphere.
A key point of analysis on Venezuela that I’ve written before: Elections are always a moment of pressure for authoritarian regimes. It’s not easy to steal an election and Maduro will be sweating this one all the way through the end of July, no matter how the conditions look. The election is not over this week with the announcement, or in late March when the candidates are decided/banned, or next month when some new repressive event makes the elections look even less fair, or in May when the opposition makes some error, or in early July when some surprise hits everyone. The best thing that the Venezuelan opposition and the international community can do is keep the pressure up. Never walk away and simply hand Maduro the election. This is the biggest moment of pressure he has faced in years.
Here is this week’s reading list and upcoming events.
Reading List
World Politics Review - Russia’s Propaganda Is Finding an Audience in Latin America
Economist - Corruption is surging across Latin America
AS/COA - The Biden Administration's Western Hemisphere Policies with Brian A. Nichols
CSIS - Hypersonic Hegemony: Niobium and the Western Hemisphere’s Role in the U.S.-China Power Struggle
New Yorker - Forty-three Mexican Students Went Missing. What Really Happened to Them?
Bloomberg - Mexico Should Be Spending Billions on Water, Not Oil
AP - Organized crime attacks on local candidates raise fears Mexico may face its bloodiest elections ever
AP - Mexico's most dangerous city for police refuses to give up or negotiate with cartels
Washington Post - Opinion Can Mexico move past its authoritarian streak with a new president?
Americas Quarterly - The Problem-Solving Entrepreneurs in Brazil’s Favelas
AP - With Venezuela's election set for late July, President Nicolás Maduro holds all the cards
Forbes - Venezuela’s Crypto Rebirth: Interview With Enrique De Los Reyes
Bloomberg - Guyana Beats Venezuela in Oil Exports During Border Dispute
Reuters - Return of US oil sanctions would clip Venezuela's output gains, analysts say
Bloomberg - Gustavo Petro Fires Droves of Investor-Friendly Technocrats in Colombia
Global Americans - Ecuador's Challenge: Security, Trade, and Growth
Americas Quarterly - AQ Podcast: An X-Ray of Peru’s Tinderbox
Reuters - In Argentina's barrios, rising poverty stalks Milei's austerity drive
Foreign Policy - Milei's Austerity Is Devastating Argentina
Redaccion Regional - Gisela Sánchez, presidenta ejecutiva del BCIE: “El Salvador y Nicaragua son quienes más reciben fondos, mi objetivo es una cartera más diversificada”
AP - Politicians seek new alliances to lead Haiti as gangs take over and premier tries to return home
Washington Post - As gangs attack a critical port, ‘Haiti will go hungry soon’
NYT - Haiti Gangs Press Prime Minister to Step Down
WSJ - Chaos in Haiti Leaves U.S. With Few Options
Global Americans - State of the Union Bingo
WSJ - Border Crackdowns Won’t Solve America’s Immigration Crisis
NYT - Nuclear War: The Rising Risk, and How We Stop It
Upcoming Events
11 March, Wilson Center - China’s Voice in Latin American Media
12 March, Inter-American Dialogue - The Future Of Micro-Credentials in Latin America - Challenges And Opportunities
14 March, Wilson Center - Navigating Brazil’s G20 Presidency: A Conversation with Ambassador Maurício Lyrio
18 March, CSIS - From Terrestrial to Celestial: Unlocking the potential to enhance US-Latin American B2B collaboration
Thanks for reading
Have a great weekend.