(Even more here)

June 29, 2017

Brazil

• Samantha Pearson, “Brazilians Are Too Weary of Scandal to Protest Their Graft-Tinged Leader” (The Wall Street Journal, June 29, 2017).

Many Brazilians are tacitly choosing stability over rule of law. That, many observers say, may help Mr. Temer cling onto power

Colombia

• “El Fin de las Farc Como Guerrilla, Meta Cumplida del Proceso de Paz” (El Tiempo (Colombia), June 29, 2017).

Santos estaba frente al resultado de su apuesta más arriesgada como mandatario de los colombianos: iniciar un proceso de paz

• “Feliciano Valencia Es Inocente: Corte Suprema de Justicia” (El Espectador (Colombia), June 29, 2017).

Los magistrados de la Corte revisaron el expediente del líder indígena y además, tuvieron en cuenta los argumentos de la Fiscalía y la Procuraduría, que habían pedido ya su absolución

• Ricardo Monsalve Gaviria, “Autoridades Deben Enfocarse en los Nuevos Grupos Armados” (El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), June 29, 2017).

Tras la dejación de armas de las Farc, las autoridades deben enfocar esfuerzos en otros grupos armados que aún cuentan con gran capacidad armada como el Eln, el Clan del Golfo y Los Pelusos

Cuba

• William M. Leogrande, “Does the Cuban Military Really Control Sixty Percent of the Economy?” (The Huffington Post, June 29, 2017).

GAESA’s revenue constitutes 21% of total hard currency income from both state enterprises and the private sector, 8% of total state revenue, and just 4% of GDP (Anuario Estadístico 2015). That’s a long way from 60%

Mexico

• Geneva Sands, “Us Plans to Construct Up to 8 Border Wall Prototypes This Summer” (ABC News, June 29, 2017).

A CBP draft briefing to Congress had previously stated June as an intended start date for prototype construction, but in recent weeks the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees CBP, has said “summer”

• Rebecca Kheel, “Democrats Target Trump’s Border Wall in Defense Bill Debate” (The Hill, June 29, 2017).

The amendment was originally introduced by Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Calif.), but Rep. Steve Knight (R-Calif.) introduced a substitute to Gallego’s amendment, and then O’Rourke introducing a perfecting amendment

South America Regional

• Matthew M. Taylor, “South America’s Turn to Deadlock” (Council on Foreign Relations, June 29, 2017).

Influential social scientists have long warned of the perils of presidentialism, with its tendency toward zero-sum politics and regime breakdown

Venezuela

• Joshua Partlow, Rachelle Krygier, “Amid Venezuela’s Chaos, Protesters Ask: Was Helicopter ‘Attack’ Rebellion or Ruse?” (The Washington Post, June 29, 2017).

Some suspect the brazen swoop over the Supreme Court building was cooked up by the government as a pretext for more crackdowns

• Anatoly Kurmanaev, Kejal Vyas, “Chopper Flight Leaves Venezuelans Mystified” (The Wall Street Journal, June 29, 2017).

In private, opposition leaders say they fear Mr. Maduro will use the alleged chopper attack to further crack down on dissent