(Even more here)

August 8, 2017

Brazil

• “Brazilian Army Troops Storm Rio Favelas to Crack Crime Gangs” (MercoPress, August 8, 2017).

Five favelas were targeted by around 1,300 police and 3,600 troops in a sweep starting at 4 a.m., the Rio state security service said in a statement

Colombia

• Maria Isabel Rueda, “‘Por Poco Logramos un Acuerdo Con Alvaro Uribe’: Sergio Jaramillo” (El Tiempo (Colombia), August 8, 2017).

Las Farc mostraron su momento de mayor altura y madurez en los días siguientes al plebiscito, cuando fuimos a decirles que había que hacer cambios

• Ricardo Monsalve Gaviria, “Choco Aun Sufre Siembra Indiscriminada de Minas” (El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), August 8, 2017).

La instalación de minas antipersonal en el departamento de Chocó, específicamente en zona rural de Riosucio, tiene en jaque a las comunidades indígenas y afro que habitan en esa región

• Nick Miroff, Nicolo Filippo Rosso, “Forgotten in the Dust of Northern Colombia” (The Washington Post, August 8, 2017).

An immersion photographer has spent much of the past two years with the Wayuu

El Salvador

• Roberto Valencia, “¿Que Hay Detras de la Campana de Trump Contra las Maras?” (El Faro, The New York Times, August 8, 2017).

Venderla como la reencarnación del mal está permitiendo al gobierno alimentar el discurso contra la migración en general y contra los migrantes latinos en particular

El Salvador, Venezuela

• “Editorial: El Gobierno Debe Dejar de Apoyar a Venezuela” (El Faro (El Salvador), August 8, 2017).

Una de las escasas naciones que reconocen esta elección constituyente es El Salvador

Honduras

• “De 2,200 Millones de Lempiras Es la Deuda de la Tasa de Seguridad” (El Heraldo (Honduras), August 8, 2017).

Préstamos obtenidos han permitido proyectos que representan grandes inversiones en instituciones que combaten criminalidad

• “Los Sistemas de Seguridad Estaban Colapsados” (El Heraldo (Honduras), August 8, 2017).

El ministro de Seguridad, Julián Pacheco, aseguró que con fondos de la Tasa de Seguridad han logrado mejorar la Policía Nacional

Mexico

• Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), “We Need a Smart Border Wall, Not a 3rd Century Solution” (USA Today, August 8, 2017).

We have the technology to improve border security, and it would be much cheaper than a physical wall. Plus, it could be operational within a year

• James Fredrick, “Mexico City Feels the Heat of Rising Drug Crime” (The Financial Times (UK), August 8, 2017).

The city’s mayor has tied himself in verbal knots to maintain a position he has held for years: there are no drug cartels in Mexico City

• Jose Antonio Belmont, “Colima Tiene la Mayor Cifra de Muertes Dolosas” (Milenio (Mexico), August 8, 2017).

Existe una disputa por el territorio de los cárteles de Jalisco Nueva Generación y de Sinaloa, pues explican que Colima es un paso estratégico para el trasiego de drogas

• Alex Horton, “Trump Talked About Sending Troops to Battle ‘Tough Hombres’ in Mexico. Can He Do That?” (The Washington Post, August 8, 2017).

From 2014 to 2016, the two sides have increased joint programs by 20 percent, from cooperating on drug seizure operations on the seas to U.S. military lawyers instructing their Mexican counterparts over human rights and other legal principles

Venezuela

• Alexandra Ulmer, “Specter of Coup, Surge in Violence Haunt Venezuela” (Reuters **, August 8, 2017).

The raid has raised the specter of a coup or a surge in already serious levels of violence

• Anatoly Kurmanaev, “Raid on Venezuelan Base Got Help From Active Officers” (The Wall Street Journal, August 8, 2017).

The brazenness of the attack and the complicity of active officers raises questions about the military’s willingness and ability to defend an increasingly unpopular government

• Ana Vanessa Herrero, Nicholas Casey, “As Maduro’s Venezuela Rips Apart, So Does His Military” (The New York Times, August 8, 2017).

A growing number of officers are openly breaking ranks with the president and taking up weapon

• Ludmila Vinogradoff, “Un Episodio Que Sirve de Excusa para Futuras Limpiezas Militares” (Clarin (Argentina), August 8, 2017).

Según Rocío San Miguel, titular de la ONG Control Ciudadano, la incursión en Carabobo fue infiltrada por la inteligencia del régimen y resulta sospechosa

• “Venezuela: Hackers Target Venezuelan Government Sites” (BBC (UK), August 8, 2017).

Calling itself “The Binary Guardians”, the group posted messages appearing to support the actions of a group of armed men who attacked a military base

• Susan B. Glasser, “What’s It Like to See a Democracy Destroyed?” (Politico, August 8, 2017).

Hannah Dreier spent years covering the implosion of Venezuela. Her takeaway is a sobering one: There’s no rule that says that a miserable situation has to end, just because it’s too miserable