Colombia

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Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced he would call a popular consultation for voters to decide on his health and labor reforms amid a lack of support for both proposals in Congress, El Pais reported March 11.

Colombia: Public Consultation Proposal on Reform Agenda to Fuel Polarization

Colombian President Gustavo Petro removed Vice President Francia Marquez from her position as equality minister amid a broader Cabinet reshuffle, El Pais reported on Feb. 27.

Colombia: Vice President's Removal From Cabinet To Fuel Political Instability

Military & Security

Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN) is close to taking full control of the major cocaine production region of Catatumbo, near the border with Venezuela, Bloomberg reported Feb. 25. 

Colombia: Guerrilla's Growing Territorial Control Underscores Peace Plan Collapse

El Salvador

Mexico

United States

Venezuela

The Trump administration reportedly plans to designate eight Latin American criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations, though the list has not been made official yet, The New York Times reported on Feb. 13, citing five anonymous U.S. officials. 

U.S., Latin America: Report Indicates Eight Criminal Organizations To Be Designated as Terrorist Groups

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro requested in a social media post the resignation of his government's Cabinet members and other high-ranking officials, El Pais reported on Feb. 9.

Colombia: Cabinet Reshuffle To Fuel Political and Regulatory Uncertainty

China

Colombia opened a new direct maritime trade route with China, connecting its main Pacific port with Shanghai, DW reported on Feb. 7.

Colombia, China: New Maritime Route Indicates Bilateral Ties To Increase Over Coming Years

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on a social media post that ministers planning to run in Colombia's 2026 elections should leave their posts, while Interior Minister Juan Fernando Cristo called on the entire Cabinet to resign, Semana reported on Feb. 5. 

Colombia: Cabinet Changes and Political Instability To Follow Critical Televised Cabinet Meeting

Colombia's Petro government announced the imposition of 90-day taxes on "economically robust" sectors like oil and coal exports, online betting platforms, and stamps aimed at raising 1 trillion pesos ($240 million) to fund the anti-guerilla effort concentrated in the border region with Venezuela, El Colombiano reported on Jan. 28.

Colombia: New Taxes Funding Anti-Guerilla Effort Will Fuel Uncertainty, Undermine Petro's Popularity

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The lobby of the headquarters for the U.S. Agency for International Development is seen on Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 

Cuts to U.S.-funded humanitarian and development programs could worsen global health outcomes, destabilize security environments, accelerate democratic backsliding, and create opportunities for rival powers to expand their influence.

The Global Implications of Trump's Foreign Aid Cuts

Colombian Foreign Relations Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo (C) looks on with other Colombian officials during a Jan. 26 press conference on a diplomatic dispute with the United States at the San Carlos Palace in Bogota, Colombia. 

Global Trade

The U.S. threat of tariffs and sanctions on Colombia because of a dispute over migrants offers a precedent for future White House threats against countries in Latin America and other parts of the world.

What Trump's Sanction and Tariff Threats Mean For Colombia 

Argentina

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U.S. border patrol officials drive near the wall along the Mexican border in Sasabe, Arizona, on Dec. 8, 2023. 

The fallout from Trump's pledged tariffs and mass deportations could worsen living conditions in countries like Mexico, though countries with like-minded leaders, like Argentina, may fare better.

What Trump's Focus on Immigration, Trade and Ideology Means for Latin America

Snapshots

Colombian President Gustavo Petro sits in front of a Colombian flag during a meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, on May 6, 2023. 

The president's struggle to find consensus with lawmakers will likely see him resort to controversial decrees or referendums to try to enact his proposed policy reforms. 

In Colombia, Ongoing Legislative Gridlock Bodes Ill for Petro's Reform Agenda

Colombian President Gustavo Petro participates in a march for International Workers Day in Bogota, Colombia, on May 1, 2024. 

The ongoing scandals and growing public dissatisfaction with the government will prolong political volatility and policy uncertainty in Colombia, while increasing the risk of social unrest.

What Another Corruption Scandal Means for Colombia's Fragile Government

Iran

Germany

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) April 12 in Dausa, India.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Indian Elections, Scholz Goes to China

Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks during a meeting between the government, the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla leadership and civil organizations in Bogota, Colombia, on Aug. 3, 2023. 

President Petro is unlikely to fully abandon his flagship policy, but the government's recent decision to restart airstrikes against criminal groups indicates that it's reevaluating its broader security posture.

Amid Continued Setbacks, Colombia's Petro Rethinks His 'Total Peace' Strategy

Panama

Peru

Flooding on the Rimac River on March 18, 2017, in Chosica, at the foot of the Andes east of Lima, Peru. The current El Nino contributed to floods, crop failure, heat waves and drought across Latin America in 2023, and its effects will persist until it lifts in the second quarter of 2024.

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The current El Nino contributed to floods, crop failure, heat waves and drought across Latin America in 2023, and its effects will persist until it lifts in the second quarter of 2024.

How El Nino Will Impact Latin America in 2024

Bolivia

People attend a rally in support of Israel in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Oct. 22, 2023. 

Anger over the conflict could temporarily strain Israel and the U.S.'s relations with left-wing governments in the region, while countries with large Jewish or Arab populations may see more security-related incidents.

Latin America's Response to the Israel-Hamas War 

Ecuador

Soldiers conduct a patrol on July 22, 2023, in the Salvadorean municipality of Colon, where the MS-13 gang reportedly remains active. 

The success of El Salvador's counter-crime state of emergency in reducing the country's homicide rate will be hard to replicate, despite the efforts of nearby countries.

The Appeal (and Perils) of Crime Crackdowns in Latin America, Part 1

Costa Rica

Strained government resources, increased organized crime, political tensions and supply chain disruptions are likely to rise in tandem with migration.

How Record Migration Will Impact Central America

Colombian President Gustavo Petro delivers a speech in Congress in Bogota, Colombia, on July 20, 2023. 

Even if Petro manages to stay in power, his son’s money laundering charges could reduce support for his administration’s reform agenda and ongoing peace talks with guerrilla groups.

A Campaign Finance Scandal Threatens Colombia's President

Colombia is located at the strategic meeting point of Central and South America. The country shares a land border with Panama, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru and Ecuador, and has coasts on both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.    Colombia's modern borders began to take shape in 1831 with the division of Simon Bolivar's Gran Colombia. In 1903, the country lost another strategic territory when Panama gained its independence. Ever since, Colombia has had to maintain friendly relations with whoever controls the Panama Canal.    Colombia is dissected by three Andean mountain ranges: the Western, Central, and Eastern Cordilleras. Because of the country's tropical equatorial climate, major population centers are concentrated in temperate zones at higher altitudes.     The country's economic and political heartland is the capital city of Bogota. This core region has a population of roughly 8 million people. The Magdalena River Basin connects the core to Cartagena and Barranquilla, the country's largest ports.      The dense Amazonian rain forests to the south, the sparsely populated Orinoco plains to the east, and the Pacific coastline make up Colombia's periphery. These regions are home to valuable commodities such as oil and coal, as well as areas of drug trafficking and rebel insurgency. Consolidating control over these areas is currently Colombia's primary geographic challenge.      Looking forward, the country's natural resource wealth and close proximity to the United States could lead to ongoing economic opportunities. That said, the country will continue to be constrained by security challenges and by poor integration between Colombia's population centers, the resource-rich hinterlands and the coasts.

SITUATION REPORTS

Colombia: Public Consultation Proposal on Reform Agenda to Fuel Polarization

Colombia: Vice President's Removal From Cabinet To Fuel Political Instability

Colombia: Guerrilla's Growing Territorial Control Underscores Peace Plan Collapse

U.S., Latin America: Report Indicates Eight Criminal Organizations To Be Designated as Terrorist Groups

Colombia: Cabinet Reshuffle To Fuel Political and Regulatory Uncertainty

Colombia, China: New Maritime Route Indicates Bilateral Ties To Increase Over Coming Years

Colombia: Cabinet Changes and Political Instability To Follow Critical Televised Cabinet Meeting

Colombia: New Taxes Funding Anti-Guerilla Effort Will Fuel Uncertainty, Undermine Petro's Popularity

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