Latin America Advisor 2024-02-22 – Inter-American Dialogue

LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

A daily publication Of the dialogue

December 12, 7118

Is Colombia’s Petro Getting Derailed by Scandals?

Internal scandals have bedeviled Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s administration. // File Photo: Colombian Government.

Q

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Feb. 2 denounced what he called an “institutional rupture” that “has reached maximum desperation,” accusing the country’s top prosecutor of planning to remove him from office with continued investigations. Petro’s son, Nicolás, is on trial for money laundering and illicit enrichment, his brother is mired in separate legal troubles and some members of his staff have also been caught up in scandal. Meanwhile, many of Petro’s campaign promises and top goals for his administration remain unrealized, with bills held up in the legislature. To what extent have legal troubles and scandals derailed Petro’s legislative agenda? Is Petro likely to prevail in his battle with the prosecutor’s office in the court of public opinion—or in the institutional power struggle? What can Petro do to revitalize his presidency?

A

Katharine Petrich, interim executive director of the Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey: “President Petro came into office with fistfuls of promises and grand sweeping ideas only to run headlong into institutional weaknesses and a bureaucratic morass. He then set about making things worse with personal scandals and a hands-off approach to the actual business of governing, despite his exciting visions for social reforms which, if successful, would have substantially improved the life of the average Colombian. Some of the slowdowns and holdups affecting Petro’s legislative agenda are…”

Top News

U.S. Eyes Asylum Restrictions on Migrants Crossing Illegally

The Biden administration is reportedly considering new restrictions on migrants’ ability to request asylum if they crossed into the United States illegally.

MoneyCollect Launches Service in Brazil

Hong Kong-based payment service provider MoneyCollect has launched operations in Latin America by starting services in Brazil.

Brazil Calls for U.N. Reforms at G20 Meeting

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro on Wednesday called for reforms of the United Nations as foreign ministers opened a two-day meeting in Rio de Janeiro. The U.N. Security Council has failed to stop wars in Ukraine and Gaza, he said.

Complete editions of the Latin America Advisor are delivered on a biweekly basis to members of the Dialogue’s Corporate Program and other subscribers. Sign up below for a free complimentary preview subscription.

ABOUT THE LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

The Inter-American Dialogue publishes the Latin America Advisor every business day for a distinguished membership of informed corporate leaders, scholars, and government officials invested in Latin America’s development and future. The Advisor‘s highly regarded Q&A section covers questions submitted by subscribers themselves. Commentators regularly include heads of state, business leaders, diplomats, economists, analysts, and thought leaders from around the world. Many of the world’s largest and fastest-growing companies subscribe to the Advisor. To subscribe, click here. For terms and conditions, click here. For more information, contact Gene Kuleta, editor of the Advisor, at gkuleta@thedialogue.org.

Subscribers

Staff

Gene Kuleta
Editor
202.463.2920
gkuleta@thedialogue.org

Jack Quinn
Reporter

jquinn@thedialogue.org

Lori Rampani
Reporter

lrampani@thedialogue.org

board of advisors

Diego Arria
Director,
Columbus Group

Merike Blofield
Professor of Political Science,
University of Hamburg

Devry Boughner Vorwerk
CEO,
DevryBV Sustainable Strategies

Joyce Chang
Global Head of Research,
J.P. Morgan

Marlene Fernández
Corporate Vice President for Gov’t Relations,
Arcos Dorados (McDonald’s)

Peter Hakim
President Emeritus,
Inter-American Dialogue

Donna Hrinak
Director,
Adtalem Global Education

Jon E. Huenemann
Council Member,
GLG Inc.

James R. Jones
Chairman,
Monarch Global Strategies

Craig Kelly
Senior Director,
Int’l Gov’t Relations,
Exxon Mobil

Barbara Kotschwar
Professor of Political Economy,
Georgetown University

John Maisto
Director,
US Education Finance Group

Nicolas Mariscal
Chairman,
Grupo Marhnos

Thomas F. McLarty III
Chairman,
McLarty Associates

Beatrice Rangel
Director,
AMLA Consulting

Ernesto Revilla
Head of Latin American Economics, Citi

Gustavo Roosen
President,
IESA

Andrés Rozental
President, Rozental &
Asociados

Shelly Shetty
Managing Director,
Sovereigns, Fitch

ONLINE EVENT: After the Vote—What’s Next for Mexico’s Judiciary?

Asia & Latin America

Brazil

education

energy transition & Climate

Mexico

Migration, Remittances & Development

peter d. bell rule of law

cities

Hemispheric Security

Women & Girls