Security & Strategic Review - January 2026

The 13-year presidency of Nicolás Maduro (2013-2026) came to a dramatic end on 3 January when US special forces seized the Venezuelan leader and his wife against a backdrop of airstrikes in Caracas and whisked them away to face drugs and weapons charges in a New York courtroom.... Read More

Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa was confident of victory in a 16 November referendum that included a proposal to allow the return of foreign military bases – so confident, in fact, that he invited US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to tour two prospective sites for US troops in the run-up to the vote.... Read More

Bolivia’s new centre-right government took office on 8 November with a promise of sweeping change after nearly two decades of rule by the left-wing Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS).... Read More

Public concerns over issues such as crime and migration dominated debates during Chile’s presidential race [SSR-25-10].... Read More

The United Nations climate change conference (COP30) hosted in the Brazilian city of Belém from 10-22 November was supposed to be the top highlight of Brazil’s foreign policy calendar in 2025 and the main stage on which President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva could promote his ambitions to position Brazil as a leading country on multilateral climate action.... Read More

Lieutenant General Carlos Alberto Presti, who had been serving as the chief of the general staff of Argentina’s army, took office as the new defence minister on 10 December, replacing Luis Petri, who won a seat in the lower chamber of congress in the October 2025 midterm elections.... Read More

On 3 December Mexico’s senate approved the appointment of Ernestina Godoy as the new federal attorney general (AG).... Read More

Insecurity on Mexico’s roads was thrown into the spotlight at the end of last year as transport workers blockaded roads in protest at unsafe working conditions.... Read More

The US is continuing to secure guilty pleas from high-profile members of the Cártel de Sinaloa.... Read More

President Xiomara Castro’s term is coming to an end on 27 January.... Read More

In late November Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino revealed plans to introduce a new anti-mafia law designed to better combat organised crime, less than two weeks after security services made the biggest cocaine seizure in the country’s history.... Read More

Seven magistrates in Nicaragua’s supreme court (CSJ) have resigned within a matter of weeks since 20 November.... Read More

A special mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) for the strengthening of democratic institutions in Guatemala recently paid a visit to the country to observe the selection processes due in 2026 in four key judicial institutions: the attorney general’s office, five-member electoral court (TSE), five-member constitutional court (CC), and comptroller general’s office (CGC).... Read More

On 27 November, the electors of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) finally turned away from Ralph Gonsalves, long-time leader of the Unity Labour Party (ULP) and prime minister for 24 years.... Read More

On 1 December, the St Lucian electorate awarded a second term to the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) and Prime Minister Philip Pierre.... Read More