(Even more here)

March 31, 2017

Brazil

• Brad Brooks, “Former Brazil House Speaker Cunha Sentenced to 15 Years for Graft” (Reuters , March 31, 2017).

Cunha, who drove the successful impeachment of former President Dilma Rousseff, was forced from his position as speaker in July and arrested in October

Colombia

• James Bargent, “A Cocaine Boom Could Derail Colombia’s Peace Process” (VICE, March 31, 2017).

The government’s ability to turn the 2016 peace accords struck in Havana into a reality could now hinge on Colombia’s capacity to reign in the coca trade

• Alfredo Molano Jimeno, “Pepe Mujica y Felipe Gonzalez Llegan para Verificar el Acuerdo de Paz” (El Espectador (Colombia), March 31, 2017).

Sólo faltaba la llegada de Mujica y González para que la Comisión de Implementación pudiera marchar a todo vapor

• “Diego Palacio, Arias Cabrales y Jaime Uscategui se Acogen a la Jep” (El Espectador (Colombia), March 31, 2017).

Los dos generales firmaron el acta de compromiso este miércoles. El exfuncionario de Álvaro Uribe lo hizo este mismo jueves

• “¿en Que Va la Dejacion de Armas de las Farc?” (Verdad Abierta (Colombia), March 31, 2017).

En los próximos días espera recibir alrededor de mil armas, que tendrá bajo custodia en sus contenedores

• Francisco De Roux, “Razones para el Cese del Fuego” (El Tiempo (Colombia), March 31, 2017).

El Eln tiene que abandonar la guerra para tener a toda la sociedad civil participando en la negociación. El paso hay que darlo ya, quitando todo estorbo que demore

• “Fiscalia Reafirmo Que Lideres del Sur de Bolivar Pertenecen a Brazo Politico del Eln” (El Espectador (Colombia), March 31, 2017).

La evidencia, según el ente investigador, es que sus marchas fomentan el “cambio social”

Mexico

• Dudley Althaus, Juan Montes, “U.S. Arrests a Mexican State Attorney General on Drug-Trafficking Charges” (The Wall Street Journal, March 31, 2017).

U.S. agents, acting on a federal indictment, said they arrested Edgar Veytia, nicknamed “Diablo” in court documents, as he crossed Monday into San Diego

• Kimberly Heinle, Octavio Rodriguez Ferreira, David A. Shirk, “Drug Violence in Mexico: Data and Analysis Through 2016” (Justice in Mexico, University of San Diego, March 31, 2017).

Tensions between the two countries could undermine the close law enforcement and security cooperation achieved under the administrations of presidents George W. Bush (2000-2008) and Barack Obama (2008-2016)

• Domingo Martinez, “How Scared Should People on the Border Be?” (The New York Times, March 31, 2017).

There’s the world, there’s America, there’s Texas, there’s the border town and finally, within the town, there’s still another world, waiting to get in

Paraguay

• Laurence Blair, “Paraguay Fears Dictatorship as President Moves to Amend Constitution” (The Guardian (Uk), March 31, 2017).

A pro-Cartes senator seized a microphone, proclaimed himself senate president, and steam-rolled through the changes with a show of hands

Venezuela

• Nicholas Casey, Patricia Torres, “Venezuela Muzzles Legislature, Moving Closer to One-Man Rule” (The New York Times, March 31, 2017).

With few protesters in the streets of Caracas on Thursday, it was unclear what popular support the opposition might get from the public

• Diego Ore, Andrew Cawthorne, “Venezuela’s Maduro Decried as ‘Dictator’ After Congress Annulled” (Reuters , March 31, 2017).

There was swift and widespread international condemnation of the de facto annulment of the National Assembly, where the opposition won a majority in late 2015

• “Editorial: Golpe de Estado en Venezuela” (El Pais (Spain), March 31, 2017).

Supone un mazazo institucional de una gravedad extrema, sin parangón desde que comenzara la crisis institucional en Venezuela

• “Venezuela: Oas Sg Denounces Self-Inflicted Coup D’etat” (Organization of American States, March 31, 2017).

The Secretary General calls for the urgent convocation of the Permanent Council under Article 20 of the Democratic Charter

• Juan Carlos Garzón, Robert Muggah, “Venezuela’s Raging Homicide Epidemic Is Going Unrecorded” (Igarape Institute, The Los Angeles Times, March 31, 2017).

Venezuela has little chance of slowing the crime wave anytime soon. It is next to impossible to make effective public policy without reliable data