On The LatinNews Podcast this week, we look at the results of the recent presidential elections in Bolivia and the challenges ahead for president-elect Rodrigo Paz. Can this pragmatic leader respond creatively to tests including, a contracting economy, the current decline in the MAS party, the revisitation of diplomatic ties between the country and the United States, the Lithium question and regional relationships. In a far-reaching conversation with Martín Mendoza-Botelho, Profes...

Why is there a build-up of the US armed forces in the southern Caribbean? According to Dr. Evan Ellis, Latin America Research Professor and General Douglas Macarthur Research Chair at the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, our guest on The LatinNews Podcast this week, this is about putting an end to a significant strategic threat to U.S. interests that are threatening the core of things that President Trump said he was going to defend, issues of migration and issues of drugs.&...

Newly re-elected President Irfaan Ali will have to move fast on promises to convert his country's sizable oil income into tangible benefits for Guyana's poor, beyond huge prestige infrastructure projects. If President Ali is unable to capitalize and create a coherent development plan and enable a reorientation of Guyana's economy, there will be cause for concern, not least from Azruddin Mohamed, leader of the new WIN (the recently formed, We Invest in Nationhood party) who pulled in 25 per ce...

On The LatinNews Podcast this week, we look at how criminal organizations offer basic order and security in Latin America and how decades of authorities resorting to repressive strategies in order to address underlying social problems have provided fertile platforms for criminal shadow governments. Misguided state policies have shown that political questions have to change and there is now the need to rethink how to deal with the engines powering criminal governance in the region. We d...

Following the historic defeat of the MAS in the first round of presidential elections in August 2025, Bolivians are left with two options to vote for, both to the right of centre. Former president Jorge Quiroga will face Senator Rodrigo Paz Pereira in a run-off set to take place on 19 October 2025. On The LatinNews Podcast this week, we take a look at the results of the first round and explore some of the reason for the total collapse of the MAS party, we discuss the legacy of former p...

In one of his final acts as president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador pushed through a contentious judicial reform. López Obrador celebrated the overhaul of the judiciary as a necessity and an important legacy of his government. A primary concern is that the reform weakens judicial independence, reducing checks and balances on the government. There are fears the election process could be open to political influence, reducing the judiciary’s autonomy from government and strengthening t...

Threats of political violence and a deteriorating security situation are raising concerns as Colombia approaches its presidential elections in May 2026, while tensions with the United States have also increased. Security challenges are expected to weigh heavily on the upcoming electoral period. This week on The LatinNews Podcast, host Richard McColl speaks with Elizabeth Dickinson, Senior Analyst for the Andes Region at International Crisis Group, who explains the factors behind the current ...

Under President Santiago Peña, Paraguay is enjoying economic stability, the fastest growth in Latin America, the lowest debt to GDP ratio in the region, a stable currency and the award of investment grade status for the first time ever. And, while this is impressive and cause for celebration, analysts are asking what the Paraguayan government is doing to combat corruption? On The LatinNews Podcast this week, we speak to Andrew Nickson, Honorary Reader in Public Management and La...

President Noboa’s victory in Ecuador seems to have owed a huge amount to his sweeping crackdown on organised crime, which has seen the military permanently mobilised against gangs. Insecurity is repeatedly identified as voters’ main concern. Can Noboa deliver? It's clear that Noboa stands and falls on security and voters gave him the benefit of the doubt that he needed more time and that his rival González would be too soft on crime. But, he has to deliver on this as well as addressing...

The biggest threat to Peru's efforts to further tap into its vast copper ore reserves is the growing number of informal and illegal mining activities. Conflicts between property owners and concession holders have become a critical issue, and the Peruvian government is striving to find a balance. Peru's rich copper and gold ore reserves have attracted hundreds of thousands of small-scale miners, most of whom operate in areas where they do not own mining rights. It is estimated that 40 per cent...

Security and violent crime are the single most pressing issues on the minds of voters regarding the presidential elections in Costa Rica in February 2026 and so, on The LatinNews Podcast this week, we investigate the causes for these troubles - including inequality and marginalization - and what President Rodrigo Chaves has done to combat this. We discuss the broader trends in the region regarding the elections, Costa Rica's strong identity, Chaves' open admiration for President Bukele...

The recent election of American Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV marks a historic moment for the Catholic Church. Not only is Leo XIV the first pope from the United States, but he is also a pontiff deeply connected to Latin America, where he dedicated nearly forty years to pastoral work, particularly in Peru. In this respect, Leo would appear to be another Latin American pope and there is great excitement in the region resulting from his nomination. On The LatinNews Podcast this...

How much is historical revisionism in South America's southern cone responsible for a rise in the far-right in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay? What does this mean for the largely prevailing consensus on the brutality and the indefensible and egregious human rights violations perpetrated by the dictatorships in the 1970s and 1980s? Can we point to an amnesia of these periods which has contributed to a democratic backsliding in the region? Where do President Javier Milei, former president...

As if we hardly need reminding that Chile's controversial pension reforms were the focal point of protests at the heart of the civil unrest or "estallido social". This has been particularly incendiary in Chile with the AFP's origins dating back to the Pinochet dictatorship. Chile has always seemed like the Switzerland of Latin America, routinely topping regionally adjusted league tables, but obviously it was massively inequitable and the pension system bred particular resentment over t...

On The LatinNews Podcast this week, we take a look at the implications of mass deportations from the United States and the possible effects of this on Trinidad and Tobago's society, the current state of emergency due to violent crime as well as the upcoming elections in April. With the surge in gang-driven crime due to transnational drugs, arms and people trafficking, Trinidad and Tobago finds itself negotiating a precarious balancing act in managing the challenges of being located alo...

On The LatinNews Podcast this week, we take a profound look at current events involving Panama, most notably the statements about the country made by President Trump. Was Panama a bad deal for the US? Is there a possibility of the US invading Panama in a second take on 1989's operation Just Cause? Does China control the canal? It's a sign of the times that we have to seriously consider the possibility of President Trump ordering an invasion of a democratic ally. So, we put Panama's dip...

As his popularity continues to wane, President Lula appears as if disconnected to the new realities in Brazil as he faces the most testing time in his political career. The weakness of Brazil's currency, the rising cost of living, the disastrous municipal elections in October 2024, the fiscal deficit and investor concerns are all issues which Lula needs to face up to but, as yet, has been unable to address. This week on The LatinNews Podcast, we speak to Richard Lapper, author a...

Suriname will vote for a new president on 25 May 2025 in what are seen as crucial elections set against the backdrop of economic uncertainty and the forthcoming exploitation of potentially wealth-changing oil reserves for the country. Presently, there are 15 to 17 parties registered and in this episode of The LatinNews Podcast we provide an explainer of the main parties and political players, the most pressing concerns of the electorate such as the economy, healthcare and relations with Guya...

On The LatinNews Podcast this week, we take a look at the challenges ahead for Mercosur, Mercado Común del Sur (Southern Common Market), as this trading bloc seeks to sign a FTA with the EU despite opposition from several European nations and approval from others, political polarization and enmity between Argentina's President Milei and Brazil's President Lula. Does this new look deal being negotiated differ at all from the original one, what can we expect during this era of new intern...

If we take President Milei's achievements in Argentina at his word, his policies have led to the reduction of inflation, created a fiscal surplus and a reduction of the country's credit debts. He has avoided impeachment, hyperinflation, reduced price indexes, controlled social unrest and carried out far-reaching austerity measures. Can President Milei consolidate stability, avoid problems with the exchange rate and maintain fiscal discipline in 2025 all in the lead up to mid-term elections i...