Colombia pivots right, the Iran war MOU is tested throughout the week, Ebola spreading in DRC sight unseen, and Ukraine vows to bring the war to Moscow.

Newly elected right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella wants to use Nayib Bukele’s heavy-handed tactics to reduce violence. But there’s a problem: Colombia is not El Salvador, and gang members are not insurgents.

A US terrorist designation of two major Brazilian organized crime outfits is not a matter of law enforcement - it’s a geopolitical weapon, speak nothing of a compliance nightmare for regional banks, and it will reverberate across US-Brazilian relations for years to come.

The surprising durability of Venezuelan Chavismo hints at a new kind of authoritarianism, one that relies less on individual charisma and more on layered networks of elites who all stand to lose from change. And it’s not just Venezuela where this is happening.

The geopolitical importance of Guyana has been underscored by the recent regime change in Venezuela.

Regime change in Venezuela can be traced back to Hugo Chavez acting against the geopolitical imperatives of his country. And now Washington is making the exact same mistake.

This week we cover new US sanctions against Russian oil majors, the deployment of a US Carrier Strike Group to the Caribbean, a US-Australia rare earths deal, and the outcome of highly consequential midterm elections in Argentina.

This week we cover new EU initiatives meant to shore up defenses along the bloc’s eastern flank, President Trump’s foray into the heart of Argentine politics, and a new political coalition that could shake up foreign policy in Japan.

Far from achieving their narrow goal of ending the prosecution of former president Jair Bolsonaro, the Brazil Trump tariffs have backfired on numerous fronts: strengthening Lula politically, accelerating Brazil's pivot toward China, and catalyzing regional integration initiatives that exclude US participation.

Now over half a century since the War on Drugs was launched, has the broader campaign against the cartels become a forever war in Ecuador?

The ruling against First Quantum Minerals is being heralded as a victory for environmental rights and people power.

The Panamanian government has called a referendum to decide the fate of a contentious copper mining project, in what is now being viewed as a major victory for activists across the region.

Guatemala stands on the precipice of an era-defining election, one that will have implications for the ‘pink tide’ sweeping Central and South America.

Lithium holds the promise of revolutionizing the carbon-based global economy. But it has a dirty little secret in the intense water usage involved in its extraction.

Resource nationalism continues to ripple through South America as governments consolidate control over critical mineral industries like lithium.

Lithium is increasing Argentina’s geopolitical relevance, and Beijing and Washington are watching. But is Buenos Aires strong enough to play both sides?

A massive deal promises a new wave of Chinese investment into Bolivia’s lithium industry, raising new geopolitical and developmental concerns.

Amid declarations of the death of globalization, Argentina and Brazil are looking to advance de-dollarization and regional trade interests via currency union.

Bolsonaro’s quiet capitulation illustrates how none of the necessary ingredients for a coup were present in Brazil in the aftermath of the presidential election.

The election might be over, but the question as to who will be Brazil’s next leader remains unanswered.