Latin American Weekly Report

Weekly Report - 26 February 2026 (WR-26-08)

Mexico’s security forces took out the country’s most powerful drug kingpin, Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, the leader of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), on 22 February.

Weekly Report - 19 February 2026 (WR-26-07)

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LEADER
- Peru goes full circle as Jerí ousted and PL back in power
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- VENEZUELA: Anti-regime protests spring up as fear dissipates
- ECUADOR: Leading opposition mayor arrested
- TRACKING TRENDS
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- ARGENTINA: CGT launches general strike over labour reform
- CHILE: Boric and Kast at loggerheads
- BRAZIL: Banco Master case judge faces rising pressure
- BRAZIL: Opposition rages over Lula Carnival tribute
- TRACKING TRENDS
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Shoring up Canadian trade ties
- MEXICO: Drama at the education ministry
- TRACKING TRENDS
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- GUATEMALA: Victories for Arévalo as key appointment process kicks off
- PANAMA: Mulino dealt setback
POSTSCRIPT
- Benedetti launches campaign for constituent assembly
- Quotes of the week

Parties from across the political spectrum in Peru voted to remove President José Jerí from power on 17 February.

Weekly Report - 12 February 2026 (WR-26-06)

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LEADER
- Cuba feeling the strain as US heaps pressure on Mexico
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- VENEZUELA: Re-arrests offer a warning to released political prisoners
- COLOMBIA: Senators targeted by armed groups
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- URUGUAY: Still the best despite sharpest fall
- CHILE: Kast risks upsetting parties by picking independents
- ARGENTINA: Labour reform moves forward in senate
- ARGENTINA: Government secures US trade and investment deal
- BRAZIL: Debates over public sector salary perks fuel tensions
- BRAZIL: Inflation tempers optimism over imminent rate cuts
- TRACKING TRENDS
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Trouble in Tequila
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- HAITI: PM assumes control as CPT’s mandate ends
- HONDURAS: Asfura meets Trump
POSTSCRIPT
- Bolivia’s fuel saga takes on new dimension
- Quotes of the week

Cuba’s government was forced to issue a warning this week to international airlines that they would be unable to refuel on the island for at least a month due to fuel shortages.

Weekly Report - 05 February 2026 (WR-26-05)

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LEADER
- Fernández cruises to victory in Costa Rica
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- COLOMBIA: Petro strikes rapport with Trump
- ECUADOR: Correísmo hit with campaign finance investigation
- VENEZUELA: Rodríguez meets key opposition demand with amnesty bill
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- BRAZIL: Lula seeks reset as congress returns from recess
- ARGENTINA: Political battle over inflation stats
- TRACKING TRENDS
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Violence surges in Sinaloa
- MEXICO: Shake-up for Morena in the senate
- TRACKING TRENDS
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- PANAMA: China blasts court ruling striking down key ports concession
- CUBA: Washington tightens the screws
- TRACKING TRENDS
POSTSCRIPT
- Kast foreign visits focused on migration and security
- Quotes of the week

Laura Fernández won Costa Rica’s presidential elections at a canter on 1 February.

Weekly Report - 29 January 2026 (WR-26-04)

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LEADER
- Efforts to dismiss Haiti’s prime minister draw condemnation
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- VENEZUELA: Rubio says democratic transition will take time
- PERU: Jerí clinging on
- ECUADOR-COLOMBIA: Trade war erupts over claims of security negligence
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- CHILE: Kast cabinet both diverse and controversial
- BRAZIL: Lula walks tightrope on US relations
- BRAZIL: Far-right lawmakers lead demonstration in Brasília
- TRACKING TRENDS
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Football massacre showcases Guanajuato insecurity
- MEXICO: SCJN austerity in question
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- HONDURAS: Trump-backed candidate assumes office
- COSTA RICA: Fernández closes in on victory
POSTSCRIPT
- Argentina’s unions to square off against Milei
- Quotes of the week

With days to go until the 7 February deadline for the mandate of Haiti’s transitional presidential council (CPT) to end, the nine-member body has sparked international condemnation over its decision to eject Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé.

Weekly Report - 22 January 2026 (WR-26-03)

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LEADER
- Machado goes on charm offensive as Venezuela debates oil reforms
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- COLOMBIA: Catatumbo and Trump
- PERU: Jerí on the defensive over Chifagate
- TRACKING TRENDS
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- REGION: EU-Mercosur deal plunged into uncertainty
- BRAZIL: Bolsonaro transferred to new prison
- TRACKING TRENDS
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Concerns build over US military intervention
- TRACKING TRENDS
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- GUATEMALA: Arévalo declares state of siege amid gang violence
- HAITI: Targeting top gang leader as key deadline approaches
- COSTA RICA: Bukele pays another controversial visit to San José
POSTSCRIPT
- Can Rivadeneira pull Ecuador’s opposition together?
- Quotes of the week

Significant change may be coming for Venezuela’s oil sector after legislators began debating a reform to the country’s hydrocarbon law on 22 January.

Weekly Report - 15 January 2026 (WR-26-02)

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LEADER
- Trump’s dream of Venezuelan oil bonanza met with scepticism
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- COLOMBIA: Petro prepares to meet Trump as polls sour
- BOLIVIA: The short life of decree 5,503
- ECUADOR: Judge resigns over corruption case
- PERU: More protests over extortion
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- CHILE: Kast’s migrant plan encounters obstacles
- BRAZIL: Lula vetoes bill to reduce jail time for insurrectionists
- BRAZIL: New minister for justice and security
- TRACKING TRENDS
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Sheinbaum goes direct to Trump
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- HONDURAS: Tensions rise as Castro and congress order recount
- CUBA: Another domino ready to fall?
- COSTA RICA: Frontrunner makes rare debate appearance
POSTSCRIPT
- Can Argentina’s government take the sting out of inflation?
- Quotes of the week

Nearly two weeks on from the US military raid on Caracas to seize former president Nicolás Maduro (2013-2026), Venezuelans are facing the prospect of their country being pulled tightly into Washington’s orbit without any corresponding democratisation process, at least in the short term.

Weekly Report - 08 January 2026 (WR-26-01)

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LEADER
- Big stick back as US swoops to seize Maduro
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- COLOMBIA: Petro seeks to mend ties with Trump amid military threat
- ECUADOR: Homicides hit all-time high in 2025
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- BRAZIL: Lula faces diplomatic dilemma over Venezuela
- BRAZIL: Institutions clash over controversial bank
- ARGENTINA: Milei seeks to hit ground running in 2026
- TRACKING TRENDS
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Sheinbaum walks tightrope with US
- MEXICO: Morena under pressure over megaproject safety
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- HONDURAS: Asfura confirmed winner, challenges await
POSTSCRIPT
- Leading contender faces electoral ban in Peru
- Quotes of the week

The significance of events can often be diluted by hyperbole, but it is no exaggeration to describe the US decision to mount a military operation to seize Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as a seminal moment.