(Even more here)

October 24, 2017

Argentina

• Daniel Politi, “Argentina’s President Says Election Gains Bolster His Reform Plan” (The New York Times, October 24, 2017).

Mr. Macri said he would call the country’s governors, key lawmakers and leaders in the judiciary to accelerate progress on labor and tax policy overhauls

Brazil

• Dom Phillips, “Brazil Police Shoot Dead Spanish Tourist in Rio de Janeiro Favela” (The Guardian (Uk), October 24, 2017).

Rio’s much-lauded programme to pacify favelas run for decades by drug gangs, by installing armed police bases, is in a state of collapse

Central America Regional

• Jose Miguel Cruz, “In Central America, Gangs Like Ms-13 Are Bad – but Corrupt Politicians May Be Worse” (The Conversation, October 24, 2017).

Root out corruption in the Central American ruling class, and the gangs and crooks will go down with it

Colombia

• “El Nuevo Round por la Sustitucion de la Coca” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), October 24, 2017).

Ese pulso lo lidera la Coordinadora de Cultivadores de Coca, Amapola y Marihuana, Coccam, una organización afín a la Farc que nació este año como vocera de los cocaleros

• “Ocho de Cada Diez Colombianos Temen Ser Victimas de Homicidio” (Fundacion Ideas para la Paz, El Espectador (Colombia), October 24, 2017).

El 57 % de las personas que son optimistas frente a las negociaciones han presenciado homicidios en su barrio durante el último año, pero se inclinan por soluciones preventivas

Mexico

• Adam Edelman, Jacob Soboroff, “The Prototypes for Trump’s “Big, Beautiful” Wall Are Nearly Finished” (NBC News, October 24, 2017).

After the Thursday deadline passes, each sample will be tested on several criteria

• “Al Menos 13 Personas Son Asesinadas Durante el Fin de Semana en Guerrero, el Estado Mas Violento del Pais” (SinEmbargo (Mexico), October 24, 2017).

Guerrero es el estado donde se han cometido más homicidios dolosos en lo que va del año, con mil 726 carpetas iniciadas por ese delito

Nicaragua

• Luis Anibal Esteban Rodriguez, “Centro de Capacitacion Anti Narcoticos Ruso-Nicaraguense Fue Inaugurado en Managua” (Latin Correspondent, October 24, 2017).

La idea que surgió en el 2012 entre los presidentes Vladimir Putin y Daniel Ortega finalmente fue cristalizada
Read more at http://latincorrespondent.com/2017/10/nicaragua-rusia-centro/#bgp6LdFZ3XRIBYtL.99

Venezuela

• Christine Armario, Fabiola Sanchez , “In Gritty City Outside Caracas, the Story of a Socialist Win” (Associated Press **, October 24, 2017).

Many Venezuelans would still rather cast their ballot for the socialists than for the opposition

• Juan Forero, Ryan Dube, “In Venezuela, Opposition Governors Quietly Sworn in” (The Wall Street Journal, October 24, 2017).

Many Venezuelans expected that all 23 states would be in government hands—until Monday afternoon

• Andreina Aponte, Andrew Cawthorne, “Venezuela Governors Sworn in, Showing Opposition Disunity” (Reuters **, October 24, 2017).

After the regional ballot, the coalition said none of its winning candidates would “kneel” before the pro-Maduro Constituent Assembly body

Western Hemisphere Regional

• “Dea Releases 2017 National Drug Threat Assessment” (U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, October 24, 2017).

While the current opioid crisis has received significant attention, other drugs of abuse remain prevalent. These include methamphetamine, cocaine, new psychoactive substances (NPS), and marijuana

• Brian Winter, Robert Muggah, “Is Populism Making a Comeback in Latin America?” (Americas Quarterly, Igarape Institute, Foreign Policy, October 24, 2017).

Having rejected its demogogues just a few years ago, the region is now poised to welcome them back