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  • On this week's LatinNews Podcast, we explore the themes of urban mobility, transport infrastructure, and social inequities in Latin American cities, and discover why cities in the region serve as creative urban incubators.

    We speak with Dr. Daniel Oviedo, Associate Professor at UCL's Development Planning Unit and an expert on economic and spatial inequalities in urban environments, about what can be done to make Latin American cities more inclusive, provide better opportunities for vulnerable populations, and improve social policy.

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  • By all accounts, Bernardo Arévalo was not expected to win Guatemala's 2023 presidential election. The shock of his victory took the Guatemalan establishment by surprise, and his win has been described by Edgar Ortiz, an expert in constitutional law and political risk in Guatemala, and our guest this week, as "a glitch in the matrix."

    In his efforts to address Guatemala's widespread institutional corruption, rampant extortion, and poverty reduction, Arévalo has faced stiff resistance from the Pacto de Corruptos and Consuelo Porras, the current Attorney General. Arévalo recognises the need to modernise and democratise the Guatemalan state, but with only 23 out of 160 seats in Congress, Ortiz argues that the president's democratic approach may be too idealistic. Simply acting democratically, Ortiz warns, will not bring about change in the face of an abusively legalistic regime determined to maintain the status quo.

    Follow LatinNews for analysis on economic, political, and security developments in Latin America & the Caribbean.

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  • China's engagement with Latin America is a complex and multifaceted relationship that is both broad and substantial. The PRC's use of commercial tools and instruments of State to create a global economic order that functions to its benefit has not gone unnoticed.

    So, this week on The LatinNews Podcast, we speak to Dr Evan Ellis, Latin American Research Professor at the US Army War College about China's goals, their support of illiberal regimes in the region, their ability to control risk and the APEC summit in Peru this November, before the G20 meeting in Brazil.

    Tune in for a far-reaching look at China's interests and influences in Latin America from Mexico to Argentina.

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  • How did Mexico get here? While all eyes are on the growing civil war within the Sinaloa Cartel, between those loyal to Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, who was arrested on July 25, and the Chapitos, accused of betraying him, in order to understand current events in Mexico's fluid drugs trade, it's necessary to step back and take all of the information in careful context.

    On The LatinNews Podcast this week, we speak to Benjamin Smith, Professor of Latin American History at the University of Warwick and author of: "The Dope: the Real Story of the Mexican Drugs Trade," about the reasons behind the fragmentation of the entities in the drugs trade, inefficient government policy, what we can expect going forwards under President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum and how she might fare with a Trump or Harris presidency in the United States.

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    Follow LatinNews for analysis on economic, political, and security developments in Latin America & the Caribbean.

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  • Bolivians go to the polls on 1 December 2024 in a referendum to decide on the removal of fuel subsidies and to define whether to admit continuous or discontinuous presidential re-election. As if this weren't enough, on the same date, there are also judicial elections and another challenge to be clarified in the referendum is the shortage of dollars in the country.

    Everything points to a significant clash of politics and personalities between the current embattled President Luis Arce and former president Evo Morales as we gear up for the first round of presidential elections in August 2025.

    On the LatinNews podcast this week, we talk to Dr John Crabtree, research associate at the Latin American Centre at the University of Oxford, associate of the Politics Department at Brookes University in Oxford, region head for Latin America at Oxford Analytica Ltd. and author of: "Business Power and the State in the Central Andes. Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru in Comparison," published by University of Pittsburgh Press.

    Follow LatinNews for analysis on economic, political, and security developments in Latin America & the Caribbean.

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  • In theory, sanctions are designed to force governments to defend business interests, restore or seek democracy, respect human rights, protect the environment, fight corruption and tackle international crime and Latin America - according to a new report - is disproportionately targeted.

    "Sanctions in Latin America: the Regrettable Rise of a World of Prohibitions," a new report authored by Andrew Thompson a Latin America Analyst addresses the types of sanctions placed on countries and individuals or companies and groups in the region and the increasingly complex manners by which they are evaded.

    Tune in to hear from Andrew Thompson, his thoughts on the long-running sanctions placed on Cuba, those on Nicaragua and Venezuela and the reasons why they are mainly US-imposed.

    Follow LatinNews for analysis on economic, political, and security developments in Latin America & the Caribbean.

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  • On The LatinNews Podcast this week, we look at what is being done to resolve the long standing conflict between the Chilean government and the Mapuche indigenous people, inhabitants of parts of south-central Chile, who have suffered from a policy of "pacification" which resulted in a tragic history of exterminations and displacement.

    Tracing its roots back to the time of Chile's independence from Spain in 1810, the Mapuche conflict has evolved over time and there is now an increase in violent acts as militant Mapuche groups seek greater recognition and rights to ancestral lands.

    The magnitude of the challenge is not lost on President Boric who launched a commission in 2023 to find a solution. So, how can Chile address this long standing historical debt to the Mapuche?

    Joining us on the podcast is Dr Pablo Policzer, Associate Professor of Political Science and former director of the Latin American Research Centre at the University of Calgary in Canada who provides us with contexts from the very beginning of the conflict to the current day.

    Follow LatinNews for analysis on economic, political, and security developments in Latin America & the Caribbean.

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  • Venezuela will vote for a new president on 28 July in what will not be free and fair elections, that much is certain. But, which way will it go?

    On The LatinNews Podcast this week we explore some of the worst case scenarios facing Venezuela including the possibility of increased repression and massive voter fraud. Or, will Nicolas Maduro seek a negotiated exit for himself and his entourage?

    Joining us is Dr Javier Corrales, the Dwight W. Morrow 1895 professor of Political Science at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts to share his thoughts on the elections, the influence of external actors and discuss all possible outcomes.


    Follow LatinNews for analysis on economic, political, and security developments in Latin America & the Caribbean.

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  • Colombia’s cluster of armed conflicts seem interminable on the surface but President Gustavo Petro, the country’s first leftwing premier and a former guerrilla himself, has made Total Peace (Paz Total) a cornerstone policy of his government in an attempt to pull the nation from continual asymmetrical conflicts scattered all about the territory.

    And while Petro’s approval rating sits at a perilous 32% at the half-way point of his tenure, behind the scenes, Total Peace, a sequence of parallel dialogues conducted with each warring faction, from left wing guerrillas to organized crime syndicates, may just yield some positive results.

    On The LatinNews Podcast this week, we talk to Andrei Gómez Súarez, a Senior Researcher at the University of Winchester and General Director of Rodeemos el Dialogo, the Anglo Colombian peacebuilding organizing association and hear his take on Total Peace and how this policy may be showing some significant advances despite press reports to the contrary.

    Follow LatinNews for analysis on economic, political, and security developments in Latin America & the Caribbean.

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    For more insightful, expert-led analysis on Latin America's political and economic landscape, read our reports for free with a 14-day trial. Get full access to our entire portfolio.

  • The Mexican electorate made history on 2 June by electing the country's first woman president in Claudia Sheinbaum, former Mexico City mayor, scientist, academic and protege of outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO). Much has been reported about Sheinbaum's possible difficulty in distancing herself from AMLO's influence, but ironically, rather than giving her some freedom to pursue her own policies, her supermajority in Congress will mean that she is almost obliged to continue her predecessor's reform agenda.

    On the LatinNews podcast this week, we discuss the relevance of the election results and what these mean for the country's short and medium-term outlooks. We ask Mónica Serrano, PhD in International Relations from Oxford University, Professor of International Studies at the Colegio de México, and Member of the Board of the United Nations University, about President-elect Sheinbaum and her policies regarding security, health, education and economic opportunities in the country.

    Follow LatinNews for analysis on economic, political, and security developments in Latin America & the Caribbean.

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    For more insightful, expert-led analysis on Latin America's political and economic landscape, read our reports for free with a 14-day trial. Get full access to our entire portfolio.

  • On this week's LatinNews Podcast, we discuss the reach and main characteristics of the Tren de Aragua criminal group, from its beginnings in the Tocorón prison in Venezuela, to its spread through South America.

    We speak to Chris Dalby, director of the World of Crime media company and publishing and expert on organized crime, about the reasons for the Tren de Aragua's startling growth, adaptability and violence.

    The Tren de Aragua currently control a broad criminal portfolio of crimes including drug trafficking, illegal mining, extortion, migrant smuggling, trafficking of women for sexual exploitation and kidnapping, among others.

    Follow LatinNews for analysis on economic, political, and security developments in Latin America & the Caribbean.

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    For more insightful, expert-led analysis on Latin America's political and economic landscape, read our reports for free with a 14-day trial. Get full access to our entire portfolio.

  • On The LatinNews Podcast this week, we take a look at how Jamaica has turned its economy around to start enjoying strong growth, low unemployment, reductions in debt burdens and attracting investors.

    Marla Dukharan, a renowned economist and advisor on the Caribbean provides us with an impartial analysis of Jamaica's success story. And, while we can celebrate these advances, there are looming challenges for the island, in climate change and security, ahead.

    Follow LatinNews for analysis on economic, political, and security developments in Latin America & the Caribbean.

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    For more insightful, expert-led analysis on Latin America's political and economic landscape, read our reports for free with a 14-day trial. Get full access to our entire portfolio.

  • Murder rates in Brazil have fallen under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, but surveys show that people believe violence to have increased in the country. There is little trust in the police and judicial system, 64,2 million live in households with food insecurity, there have been more than 4 million cases of dengue in the first four months of 2024 alone, so how can Lula reduce the massive inequalities in Brazilian society, combat organized crime run from prisons and address poverty?

    On The LatinNews Podcast this week we speak to Graham Denyer Willis, Professor of Global Politics and Society in the department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge, how can Brazil address its historical condition to violence and poverty?

    Follow LatinNews for analysis on economic, political, and security developments in Latin America & the Caribbean.

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    For more insightful, expert-led analysis on Latin America's political and economic landscape, read our reports for free with a 14-day trial. Get full access to our entire portfolio.

  • On The LatinNews Podcast this week, we discuss the myriad of challenges facing a new government in Panama. Outgoing president Laurentino Cortizo is immensely unpopular and the victorious candidate in May's presidential elections will have to face up to growing public unrest due to corruption, the stuttering economy, climate change and its effects on the Panama Canal, mass migrations and the urgent need to find new resources for the country.

    We speak to Carlos Guevara-Mann, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Master of Science in International Affairs at Florida State University at the Republic of Panama, to provide us with an in-depth look at the challenges ahead for Panama.

    Follow LatinNews for analysis on economic, political, and security developments in Latin America & the Caribbean.

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  • Speculation about a potential early election call in Belize has been dismissed by Prime Minister John Briceño. Тhе Рrіmе Міnіѕtеr’ѕ соmmеntѕ fоllоw thе Реорlе’ѕ Unіtеd Раrtу’ѕ (РUР) rесеnt vісtоrу іn munісіраl еlесtіоnѕ, in which thеу ѕесurеd а ѕіgnіfісаnt mајоrіtу over the United Democratic Party (UDP). Тhе РUР’ѕ ѕtrоng ѕhоwіng hаd lеd ѕоmе оbѕеrvеrѕ tо bеlіеvе thаt thе раrtу mіght саріtаlіzе оn іtѕ mоmеntum аnd ѕееk аn еаrlу mаndаtе frоm thе реорlе.

    This week on The LatinNews Podcast, we speak to Victor Bulmer-Thomas, Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of London and Honorary Professor with the Institute of the Americas at University College London about the challenges facing Belize in the immediate future.

    As Вrісеnо’ѕ ѕtаtеmеnts undеrѕсоrе а dіffеrеnt ѕtrаtеgу, ѕuggеѕting thаt thе government іntеndѕ tо fосuѕ оn dеlіvеrіng оn іtѕ рrоmіѕеѕ аnd ѕоlіdіfуіng іtѕ trасk rесоrd bеfоrе thе nехt gеnеrаl еlесtіоn there are pending issues, such as clarifying the location of a deep water port, the multidimensional poverty suffered by much of the population, border disputes with Guatemala, and where does Lord Aschroft of Chichester fit into 2025's elections?

    Follow LatinNews for analysis on economic, political, and security developments in Latin America & the Caribbean.

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    For more insightful, expert-led analysis on Latin America's political and economic landscape, read our reports for free with a 14-day trial. Get full access to our entire portfolio.

  • On The LatinNews Podcast we discuss the Environmental and Social History of Deforestation in the Amazon and the Latin American region. In a far-reaching episode, we take a look at the tenurial structure, technologies and political regimes in understanding rapid forest conversions, and the complex dynamics of forest resurgence now found throughout the tropical world.

    Our guest, Professor Susanna Hecht is a specialist on tropical development in Latin America, especially the Amazon Basin and Central America. Her research focuses on the political economies of development ranging from corporate frontiers of cattle and export commodity agriculture (like soy, oil palm) to populist land occupation. She also studies their comparative environmental and social impacts. She also explores alternatives to destructive development, and analyzes the forms of conservation in inhabited landscapes whether through indigenous technologies, non timber extractive products, niche markets, social movements and globalization, including the role of remittances and migratory networks in reshaping rural land uses. The impacts of emerging green markets and greenhouse gas offsets for smaller scale farmers also form part of her research concerns.

    Follow LatinNews for analysis on economic, political, and security developments in Latin America & the Caribbean.

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  • The combination of a weak state and strong criminal forces has led to a near-doubling of homicides each year in Ecuador since 2020 and the nation's murder rate for 2023 was around 40 per 100,000 people, making it the highest in Ecuador's history and therefore one of the most violent in Latin America.

    In this episode of The LatinNews Podcast, we ask Ivan Briscoe, Program Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at Crisis Group and Glaeldys Gonzalez Calanche, a Fellow at Crisis Group, are President Noboa's new measures working for Ecuador?

    We cover details leading up to the crisis in Ecuador, the main players behind the violence, President Noboa's actions and the issue of forthcoming presidential elections.

    Follow LatinNews for analysis on economic, political, and security developments in Latin America & the Caribbean.

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    For more insightful, expert-led analysis on Latin America's political and economic landscape, read our reports for free with a 14-day trial. Get full access to our entire portfolio.

  • On The LatinNews Podcast this week, we ask Dr Jacqueline Jimenez Polanco, Associate Professor of Sociology at the Bronx Community College of the City University of New York, to what can we attribute the success of the anti-corruption and anti-impunity politics in the Dominican Republic?

    With elections on the horizon for May 2024, will the victor continue in the same vein of combating official corruption, addressing tensions with Haiti and protecting the country's all-important tourism revenue? We explore these topics and the historical background to current politics in the Dominican Republic.

    Dr Jimenez Polanco is the author of numerous books and articles including, "Dominican Politics in the 21st Century: Continuity and Change," "Divagaciones II, An Anthology by Dominican Lesbian, Bisexual and Queer Women," and the forthcoming, "Dominican American Politics: Immigrants, Activists and Politicians."

    Follow LatinNews for analysis on economic, political, and security developments in Latin America & the Caribbean.

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  • On The LatinNews Podcast this week, we speak to Martin Weinstein, Emeritus Professor of Political Science at William Paterson University in New Jersey and author of dozens of books on Uruguay, his opinions on the upcoming presidential elections in Uruguay in October 2024.

    Uruguay is unlikely to lose its reputation as the "Switzerland of Latin America," however there are challenges ahead for the successful candidate in the elections, be they from the leftist Frente Amplio or right-of-centre Partido Nacional. These include the issues of security and narco-trafficking, continued tensions with Mercosur and an urgent need to reform the primary and secondary education systems.

    Tune in for this far-reaching conversation on the LatinNews podcast.

    Follow LatinNews for analysis on economic, political, and security developments in Latin America & the Caribbean.

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  • On this episode of The LatinNews Podcast, we ask Rosemary Joyce, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, how governable is Honduras considering the challenges facing the country and President Xiomara Castro?

    In reality, Hondurans can point to the 2009 coup against President Zelaya (current President Xiomara Castro's husband) as a pivotal moment of seismic proportions and consequences in Honduras' political landscape. After that moment, the country endured 12 years or three presidential terms of mismanagement under President Porfirio Lobo (now charged by the US with having taken bribes from narco-trafficking organizations) and President Juan Orlando Hernández, who has been extradited to the US on corruption charges.

    How can President Castro govern a country and address the three main issues affecting the Central American nation? 1. Corruption, 2. Improving the Economy, 3. Safety and Security. We look at these issues and address the current state of Honduras.

    Follow LatinNews for analysis on economic, political, and security developments in Latin America & the Caribbean.

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    For more insightful, expert-led analysis on Latin America's political and economic landscape, read our reports for free with a 14-day trial. Get full access to our entire portfolio.