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Category Archives: Politics
Just keep scrubbing.
In Brazil, the Car Wash carries on scrubbing. Yesterday, final hearings took place to wrap up plea bargains made by no fewer than 77 former executives of infrastructure and construction conglomerate Odebrecht; proceedings even featured a special guest appearance from … Continue reading
Posted in Brazil, Corruption, Infrastructure, Politics
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Mexican Machinations
This week saw the return of Luis Videgaray to the frontline of Mexican politics. On the international scene, Mr Videgaray made a name for himself back in August as the Finance Minister who lobbied for then presidential candidate Donald Trump … Continue reading
Posted in Mexico, Politics
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A taste of your own medicine: ¡Viva el Generalissimo Trump! & meddling in elections
Earlier in the week the Electoral College ratified the result of the U.S. general election. It’s official; Trumptime begins in January. Sadly, this is certain to have far-reaching consequences for Latin America. The United States is a significant trading partner … Continue reading
Posted in Corruption, Elections, Politics
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Farewell Fidel
With the death of Fidel Castro, the world has lost a statesman and a political icon of the 20th Century. Whether his 47 years of rule in Cuba – in particular, a memorable fortnight in October 1962 – are remembered … Continue reading
Posted in Cuba, Politics
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Take it or leave it: elections in Nicaragua
Nicaraguans going to the polls today will find a familiar name on the ballot: Daniel Ortega, ruler of Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990 and again from 2007 onwards is seeking re-election. Moreover, armed with a decision not invite foreign observers … Continue reading
Posted in Elections, Nicaragua, Politics
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Recalling Mr Maduro
Until reasonably recently, it could at least be argued that Nicolás Maduro had democracy on his side. After all, following a bad-tempered campaign and opposition calls for a full audit of votes cast, Hugo Chávez’s appointed successor had seen off … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, Venezuela
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FARC Peace Accords: Back to the drawing board.
There was to be no “Neville Chamberlain moment” for Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos yesterday as his proposed peace process with the FARC guerrilla movement was rejected by voters by a paper-thin majority of 50.2% to 49.8%. No matter how … Continue reading
Posted in Colombia, FARC, Politics, Security
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How did Hugo Chávez become an icon for the global left?
In response to a question recently posed in the Financial Times: From Simón Bolívar to Che Guevara, Latin America has pedigree when it comes to producing iconic figures of revolutionary politics. This was no less the case when Hugo Chávez … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, Venezuela
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Trouble in Mercosur
As we mentioned earlier this month, recent times have seen a degree of friction between the foreign ministries of various South American states. The crux of these strained relations has been Venezuela’s upcoming presidency of Mercosur, the free trade bloc … Continue reading
Posted in Mercosur/Mercosul, Politics, Venezuela
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It’s all looking im-peachy
Yesterday the prolonged process of removing Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff from office concluded, with the Senate voting 61-20 for her impeachment. Acting President Michel Temer of the PMDB has been formerly sworn in and will see out the full presidential … Continue reading
Posted in Brazil, Politics
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