Latin America Daily Briefing
Sept. 24, 2024
Regional Relations
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva opened the U.N. General Assembly today with a call for the world to do more to combat climate change — but his message contrasts with fires ravaging Brazil, which have added fuel to criticism about his administration’s own environmental stewardship, according to the Associated Press.
The U.N. General Assembly approved the Pact for the Future on Sunday, an agreement that challenges “member nations to turn promises into real actions that make a difference to the lives of the world’s more than 8 billion people,” reports the Associated Press.
Passage is a diplomatic victory for Brazil, as the agreement set 2030 as a deadline for Security Council reform, the country’s goal heading into the weekend summit discussing the pact, according to the Brazilian Report.
On Sunday Lula issued a call “to never go backwards” on the progress that has been already achieved on multilateral issues, and said the Pact for the Future “shows us the direction we should follow.” (United Nations)
Argentina declined to endorse United Nations Pact for the Future, which aims for member countries to commit to action on issues including peace, poverty, climate change, and gender equality. (Buenos Aires Herald)
Venezuela’s Supreme Court ordered the arrest of Argentine President Javier Milei, along with other members of his government for alleged crimes related to the 2022 seizure of a Venezuelan cargo plane in Buenos Aires, under the previous administration, with Venezuelan and Iranian crew members suspected of being involved in espionage. (Miami Herald)
An Argentine federal court ordered the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and dozens of allies, including Diosdado Cabello, for crimes against humanity. Significantly, the court also asked international police organization Interpol to issue a red notice for their capture, reports AFP.
While there’s been a lot of fake news about the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua taking over a U.S. city suburb, it is true that the criminal group has an increasing presence in the U.S., reports the Associated Press. “The size of the gang and the extent to which its actions are coordinated across state lines and with leaders believed to be outside the U.S. are unclear.”
Mexico
Mexican media reported at least 10 new deaths in Sinaloa state — including corpses found wearing sombreros or with pizza slices pegged onto them with knives, signaling between warring factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, reports CBS News.
The war between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel is spreading to other states in Mexico, and “has stirred up the country’s drug trafficking hornet’s nest and spread panic among the population, who fear new confrontations in the states of Sonora, Baja California, Chihuahua, and Durango,” reports El País.
Outgoing Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is leaving office with some of the highest presidential approval ratings in the world. More than 5 million people have escaped poverty on his watch. He transformed Mexicans’ relationship with government with his strong policies in support of the country’s working poor. He did not, however, carry out promised transformations on issues of corruption and impunity, reports the Washington Post.
Colombia
Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s “Total Peace” initiative is foundering — major talks have broken down and popular support is low. “Petro’s peace efforts are not destined for total failure, but now is likely the last chance to avoid that outcome,” argue Will Freeman and Steven Holmes at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Uruguay
Uruguayan presidential elections are in a month. Polling currently favors leftist coalition Frente Amplio candidate Yamandú Orsi, but the outcome of a likely second round remains a tossup, according to Latin America Risk Report. A referendum question on undoing the current government’s pension reform is likely to dominate the first round, and will impact the outcome of the presidential vote, argues James Bosworth.