National Security Advisor John Bolton labeled the governments of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela as Latin America’s “Troika of Tyranny.” Does this signal a drastic change in US foreign policy toward Latin America? Or can we expect more of the same?

Jair Bolsonaro is well-known for a series of controversial and offensive statements, including homophobic, sexist, and racist insults. Yet he emerged victorious in Brazil’s presidential election with around 58 million votes. Can the US government work with such a leader?

President Trump has threatened to cut financial aid to Honduras and the other Central American nations where migrants originate. This is a bad idea that will backfire.

President Trump has said the “military option” is available for Venezuela, and that “all options are on the table.” At the same time, he has said that he is willing to meet with President Maduro.

Many Venezuelan refugees have settled in the Brazilian state Roraima. While the government has been supportive of the refugees, xenophobic incidents have occurred in recent weeks. As Brazil’s general elections are less than a month away, the question of what to do with these “others” has also become an electoral tool.

The Venezuelan government continues to look for new targets it can blame for the country’s woes. Disturbingly, the Venezuelan church has become the latest.

While Nicaragua’s government has resorted to repressive tactics like organizing paramilitary forces to fight protesters, the church is one of the remaining institutions that still enjoys popular support and legitimacy.

An estimated 10 percent of Venezuela’s population has fled the country, putting stress on other governments in Latin America since these nations still have their own challenges.

The conundrum that the Paraguayan government faces is choosing one of two evils. Either it lets the police handle the Ejercito del Pueblo Paraguayo (Paraguayan People’s Army, or EPP), which has not worked so far as evidenced by ongoing attacks and violence, or Asuncion deploys the armed forces, which could risk greater human rights abuses and repression.

The peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC is slightly over a year old, but there are a number of issues that will continue to be a concern from a practical and moral perspective.