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- Andrew Fishman, “Bolsonaro Gave Brazil’s Army New Powers. The Generals Won’t Give Them Up Easily.” (The Intercept, January 10, 2022).
Even if Bolsonaro loses in October, the damage he has done to civil-military relations in Brazil, where most military personnel have very hard-right political views, will take many years to undo.
Colombia
- Kyle Johnson, “Los Desafios para la Politica de Seguridad en 2022” (Razon Publica (Colombia), January 10, 2022).
The post-accord fragmentation of armed actors in Colombia “began to diminish” in 2021.
Nicaragua
- Wilfredo Miranda, “La Mazmorra Mas Oscura de Daniel Ortega” (El Pais (Spain), January 10, 2022).
As Daniel Ortega swears himself in for another term as president, some of his most prominent political opponents are in the El Chipote prison where, according to reports from relatives who have managed to visit them very sporadically, they are suffering from malnutrition, mistreatment and barely have access to their lawyers.”
U.S.-Mexico Border
- Eileen Sullivan, “A Rise in Deadly Border Patrol Chases Renews Concerns About Accountability” (The New York Times, January 10, 2022).
Border Patrol insists on carrying high-speed vehicle chases with a degree of recklessness that most police departments would avoid. Then it sends out its shady “Critical Incident Teams” whose purpose appears to be to help the agents involved avoid accountability.
- Kate Morrissey, “U.S. Failure to Follow Remain in Mexico Rules Show Program Hasn’t Changed as Promised” (The San Diego Union-Tribune, January 10, 2022).
This is infuriating. “Though Biden administration officials promised access to counsel, the two Colombian men were not allowed to speak with attorneys while in U.S. custody. Officials also failed to vaccinate one of the men for COVID-19. Confused and terrified, the two men found themselves back in Tijuana with the extra stigma of being the first returnees.”