AMERICAS

On October 9, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, authorized a 20 billion-dollar currency swap with the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic. Economic instability in Argentina has been a consistent issue for decades, and proponents hope that the currency swap will bring stability to the Argentine peso while increasing investors’ confidence. Some call this currency swap a “bailout” to the Argentine government, whose president, Javier Milei, is a close ally of Trump. Is this currency swap a sign of continued and growing American interference in Latin America?

María Corina Machado, Venezuelan political activist and former presidential candidate, nicknamed the “Iron Lady,” won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. Her activism spans decades, working to promote fair elections, liberalization of the economy, and human rights for the Venezuelan people. She is an outspoken critic of current President Nicolas Maduro, claiming that his administration has ties to transnational drug cartel Tren del Aragua and human trafficking circles. Most recently, she supported the Trump administration, and called for its help in ousting Maduro. Her willingness to support US-backed regime change has garnered many critics, who argue that it is not reflective of the values of the Nobel Peace Prize. 

Mounting tensions between the Trump Administration and Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro have come to a climax in the Caribbean Sea. President Trump has launched a series of offensive strikes against ships allegedly carrying large quantities of deadly narcotics. Trump’s failure to consult with Congress over the matter has called into question the exact scope of power that the president is allowed to exercise in deploying domestic armed forces in international conflicts. The death count continues to grow as a result of these strikes, with no indication of a peaceful agreement between Trump and Maduro, and Congress for that matter, in sight.

As gang violence in Haiti continues to inflict devastating effects on Haiti’s population, the U.N. Security Council approved a resolution authorizing a ‘Gang Suppression Force’ to confront the mounting security crisis. It will replace the previous Kenyan-led ‘Security Support Mission,’ and work in collaboration with the Haitian National Police and Haitian armed forces with primary goals of neutralizing armed gangs and strengthening infrastructure to build Haiti’s ability to assume responsibility for its own security.

Although Global Witness’ 2024 report on international violence against environmental land defenders reported a fewer number of killings and disappearances than years prior, closely observing these ongoing trends is pertinent to protecting human rights and our environment. Breaking down this report, particularly the nations and subgroups in which defenders are most commonly targeted, allows us to obtain a greater understanding of proper policy drafting and implementation moving forwards.

Próspera, Honduras is a Zone for Employment and Economic Development, aimed at attracting investment and helping develop the nation. Since its creation, it has been governed by a U.S.-based company, Honduras Próspera Inc., which has implemented low tax rates, with aims to become a haven for deregulated business. In recent years, the zone has been criticized for undermining the sovereignty of the Honduran state, and the two are locked in a legal battle to determine the constitutionality of these special zones.

On Thursday, September 11, 2025, Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting to orchestrate a coup and overturn the 2022 presidential election. The conviction has sparked a multitude of reactions within the deeply polarized state, and instigated responses from the United States and the Trump administration. The sentence marks an important milestone in Brazil’s history of pardoning political insurrection, and many regard it as a victory for Brazilian democracy.  

The self-proclaimed “world’s coolest dictator” is lauded by his people for making them feel safe in their own neighborhoods, however, President Bukele’s approval rating conceals his administration’s ignorance of past and future rural life in El Salvador. While President Bukele’s crackdown has provided short term success, his actions ignore El Salvador’s history of war and violence that motivates gang participation in the first place. Explicitly, Bukele’s mano dura (firm hand) policies have undermined impoverished communities more than they have helped them and centralization of state power has contributed to a democratic backsliding in El Salvador that exacerbates the class divide between industry elites and the rural population.

Organized crime has plagued the Caribbean for decades. Christopher “Dudus” Coke of Jamaica’s “Shower Posse” oversaw a sprawling North American narcotics network during the 1990s and 2000s, which funded concerts and vital charities for the poor on the side, and collapsed after a 2010 police shootout that killed over 73 civilians. In Haiti, Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier and his G9 Family and Allies have seized majority-control over the capital city of Port-au-Prince and are now fighting a UN-backed security coalition that includes Jamaican armed forces. These two islands, despite their distinct present circumstances, are linked by a shared history of disastrous Western intervention and subsequent financial devastation.

Argentine President Milei posts to X supporting LIBRA, a new meme coin that had huge amounts of investment following the post and crashed just a few hours later. The implications of such an action might cause impacts as he works to achieve his campaign promises of economic reform for Argentina.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was charged with leading a military insurrection by Brazil’s Supreme Court, adopting recommendations made in a federal police report from November. The plot included declaring a state of siege as well as a plan to assassinate President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as well as Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes.

In the global transition to clean energy, the Lithium Triangle countries—Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile—have adopted varying degrees of resource nationalism to advance economic development and industrialize their lithium sectors. As Bolivia and Chile move toward greater state control, China faces both opportunities and constraints in its effort to dominate the global lithium supply chain and enhance its geopolitical influence in Latin America.

Skyrocketing gas prices, the perceived encroaching threat of communism, the Iranian hostage crisis, and the Vietnam War had dealt serious blows to the country’s morale. Then twenty young Americans overcame all odds to beat the Soviets, the best team in the world, before going on to win gold in the Olympics… As Eruzione puts it, ‘For some people, it was a hockey game. But for a lot more people, it was far greater than a hockey game.’

For decades, the Guatemalan military has cooperated with foreign and domestic elites to stymie public efforts at combating racial and social inequalities. State repression is so embedded into the Guatemalan political system that corruption has been made contingent for the state to function. Nevertheless, various transitional justice initiatives which emerged at the end of the Civil War, such as the Equipulus I and II agreements and the REHMI and CEH reports, carried positive changes to the modern Guatemalan state.  The strategies used in this time can inform the Semilla party in its anti-corruption mission.

On October 1st, 2024, Claudia Sheinbaum was sworn in as Mexico’s first female president. Her Morena party won thumping majorities in both chambers of the legislature as well, laying the groundwork for radical socio-economic change. Mexico’s previous president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), was the architect for this electoral movement. By uplifting the poor through broad state spending, Morena has become the most popular party in Mexico’s modern history. President Sheinbaum’s meteoric rise proves that populist economics can coexist with democratic governance.

The Mexican Senate’s decision to abolish the current judicial system and allow citizens to elect judges has had extremely divisive effects, both domestically and internationally. Advocates for the change argue that it gives Mexicans a greater voice and limits graft and nepotism, while opponents worry the decision will slow the country’s economy and signal the end of judicial independence.

Nicolas Maduro securing a third presidential term signals a continuation of the current stagnant status quo. The inability to address inflation as well as mass unemployment and exodus of citizens would lead most other leaders to political ruin, however the revenue from state owned petroleum companies is keeping the regime viable. Venezuela and its people are the victim of the resource curse and its decades-long effects on the nation’s institutional, economic, and political stability.

Mexico City is changing quickly as a result of international migration, implementation of new industries, and foreign investment. These developments modernize and boost the economy, but they also cause gentrification, displacing the local communities, and causing cultural homogenization, which raises concerns about social inequality and the maintenance of local traditions.

Facing its latest row of intense challenges, Haiti now seeks a desperately needed cessation of the ongoing conflict between the government and criminal organizations. The current crisis now comes to a head with the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, as gangs tighten their grip on Port-au-Prince.

News is ultimately a form of storytelling, a way of informing the public of the events occuring in the world around them. Censoring the press is therefore a way of framing the way people see the world into a picture defined by what is not censored. However, press extends beyond the typical newspaper; even a novel may also be considered a form of press, reflecting societal issues of a certain period, or working to challenge authority. To censor this type of artistic press is to censor imagination, which results in the same effect––a suppression of public opinion. In the Americas, there has been an influx in the censorship of the press, which has taken one of two forms: censorship of the formal newspaper press and book censorship. This article thus examines censorship in the case studies of Canada, Mexico, Nicaragua, and the United States.

The Canadian government recently signed an agreement to transfer full control over the northernmost territory of Nunavut to the territory’s Inuit-dominated residents. This is a huge milestone in the movement for indigenous rights, and autonomy for the region will also bring more sustainable resource assessment and the protection of biodiversity. It could also be a stepping stone for increased indigenous autonomy and biodiversity across the Americas.

In Trinidad and Tobago there has been a record of gang-related violence that has made life unsafe for citizens of the island nation. Moreover, the gangs themselves are deeply institutionalized into Trinidadian society, even serving functions of government, thus making them exceptionally difficult to remove. 

While Venezuela and Guyana have been locked into a cycle of recurring dispute over the vital region of Essequibo, the most recent escalation of the contention over it has raised alarms internationally. While the conflict itself is nothing new, increasingly aggressive maneuvers by the regime of Nicolás Maduro have particularly worried indigenous communities. 

Although menstruation is a natural process, it is shrouded in misconception in various parts of the world. This stigma causes period poverty, characterized by the lack of access to menstrual products as well as limitations in regards to academic, professional, and overall life pursuits. This article seeks to shine a light on this hidden public health crisis, focusing on Latin America and in particular on a group of Venezuelan migrants in Brazil.

As global temperatures increase every year, many institutions, from national governments to private enterprises, are making plans for decreasing carbon emissions. Costa Rica has taken carbon neutrality to the next level by seeking to completely transform not justits energy system but its entire economy. 

A war is being waged against the Catholic Church in Nicaragua. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has imprisoned and exiled approximately 15 percent of the total Nicaraguan clergy. Among these are figures such as Bishop Rolando José Álvarez, who was recently released from detainment on January 14, 2024. Ortega claims that the Catholic Church is part of a conspiracy backed by the U.S. to overthrow his regime. Such allegations have been derived from protests against Ortega’s government in 2018, along with having historical roots in the Nicaraguan Civil War.

In Guatemala, the January 2024 inauguration of new president Bernardo Arévalo was tense due to the months-long efforts to prevent it from ever happening. Led not by the military, but by the bureaucracy, the coup d’etat that Guatemala avoided highlights how the nature of undemocratic practices is gradually morphing in Latin America.

Brazil’s Supreme Court has recently opened up a vote to decriminalize abortion, and a multitude of factors may influence the outcome.

Over a year after the election of leftist president Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego in Colombia, his administration is seeking out ways to divert from historically violent ways of waging the war on drugs. While Petro’s policies of investing in rural communities press onward, the path ahead may still be fraught with challenges.

Despite the increasing pressure on the precedence of the Salvadoran constitution, the populace of the smallest country in Central America remains adamant about the radical metamorphosis their country has exhibited under the administration of Bukele: a new era of stability and security for Salvadoran society. Marred with criticisms, the Bukele administration remains committed to securing another term in San Salvador, all while inciting concerns for those weary of the implications of future authoritarianism in El Salvador and the Latin American sphere of influence.