Following a meeting between Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the signing of peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC rebel group, Maduro said a top U.S. diplomat would soon visit Caracas in order to jointly explore easing tensions between the two countries. Has Maduro experienced a change of heart toward the United States?
By a narrow margin, Colombian voters on Sunday rejected their government’s peace accords with the FARC rebels. What are the next steps forward for Colombia?
Michael Shifter, Beatrice Rangel, Maria Velez de Berliner, Myles Frechette, Daniel Velandia O.
Unrepaid loans and rising levels of insecurity in Venezuela may mean that the country cannot receive additional significant loans or investment from China in the near future, The Wall Street Journal reported Sept. 11. How important a lifeline is Chinese financing to Venezuela, and what will happen to Venezuela if China holds off on additional financing to the country?
Days after the Colombian government and the FARC rebels announced they had reached final peace accords, Post-Conflict Minister Rafael Pardo outlined a plan for new economic incentives for development as well as $400 million in investment in rural areas that were left largely undeveloped during the 52-year armed conflict. The government estimates that only 30 percent of the country’s food production capacity is being utilized. What does the proposed peace deal mean for Colombia’s food production?
Devry Boughner Vorwerk, Maria Velez de Berliner, Verónica Navas Ospina, Alejandro Reyes González
Colombia’s government and the FARC rebels on Aug. 24 announced they had reached final agreement on historic peace accords following nearly four years of talks in Havana. Although Colombian voters must approve the deal in a nationwide referendum set for Oct. 2, the government says a “peace dividend” could add a percentage point or more to the country’s gross domestic product.
Funcionarios de República Dominicana el 11 de agosto arrestaron al ex ministro de Defensa, Pedro Rafael Peña Antonio y a varios otros por presuntamente aceptar US$3,5 millones en sobornos a cambio de un contrato de defensa. Las detenciones se producen mientras Félix Bautista, un senador del Partido de la Liberación Democrática, del presidente Danilo Medina, está siendo investigado por las autoridades haitianas por contratos sobrevalorados y contribuciones ilegales de campaña.¿Está empeorando la corrupción en República Dominicana, o estos casos recientes sugieren que los fiscales están haciendo progresos en la lucha contra la corrupción?
On Aug. 23, the Argentine government’s statistics agency, INDEC, announced an unemployment rate of 9.3 percent, a full percentage point higher than experts projected, according to Bloomberg News. However, earlier in the month, the agency released a report showing that inflation had slowed significantly from 4.2 percent in May to 2 percent in July. How well as the administration of President Mauricio Macri, now in office for more than eight months, been handling the economy?
Claudio Loser, Gabrielle Trebat, Andrés Asiain, Mario Rapoport
Colombia’s government and the FARC rebels on Wednesday announced they had reached final agreements on peace accords following nearly four years of talks in Havana. Before the accords can take effect, Colombian voters must approve them in a nationwide referendum, set for Oct. 2. A recent Ipsos Napoleon Franco poll said more than half of voters would reject the accords, but another poll by Invamer said two-thirds would approve them. What is behind the opposition to peace accords?
Maria Velez de Berliner, Barry R. McCaffrey, Virginia M. Bouvier
Has the ruling government effectively shut down the efforts to remove President Nicolás Maduro from office? What steps can the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable, or MUD, take now in order to achieve their goal of removing Maduro and his party from office? Would an Istúriz administration be able to better address Venezuela’s devastating economic and humanitarian crisis?
The Accelerating Pathways survey, commissioned by the Citi Foundation and conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, found that 77 percent of youth polled in São Paulo and 65 percent polled in Panama City have moved in the last five years for work, school or in search of a better life.
In the past month, members of the U.S. Congress have created new caucuses to improve the environment for U.S. businesses in Latin America and to strengthen the relationship between the United States and Peru. Are such caucuses effective in promoting business, investment and closer ties between the United States and Latin American countries?
A close ally of President Enrique Peña Nieto, Ochoa took the helm of the PRI promising to renew the party and make it more transparent. What does Ochoa bring to the PRI and to Peña Nieto’s government?
Where will a post-conflict Colombia acquire the funding for new programs needed in the short-term and long-term future, especially considering the drop in the global price of oil, which has been a key source of revenue?