The Deerfield Report

The Deerfield ReportThe Deerfield ReportThe Deerfield Report
  • Home
  • ESPAÑOL
  • Contact
  • PREVIOUS REPORTS
  • More
    • Home
    • ESPAÑOL
    • Contact
    • PREVIOUS REPORTS

The Deerfield Report

The Deerfield ReportThe Deerfield ReportThe Deerfield Report
  • Home
  • ESPAÑOL
  • Contact
  • PREVIOUS REPORTS

Welcome

Latin America Edition

Latin America EditionLatin America EditionLatin America Edition
Contact Me

Letter from the Editor

“There’s gold in them hills” is an idiomatic expression dating back to the California Gold Rush in the mid-19th century. While the exact origin of this phrase is uncertain, it implies there is an opportunity for great profit through pursuing specific activities in certain regions. Some historians describe those people who left their homes in search of great wealth, thousands of miles away, as suffering from gold fever, just as contagious as scarlet fever, which in this same period claimed more lives than any other illness. Nearly 200 years later, this same gold fever—prompting an estimated 300,000 people to move to California—is causing an even greater number of people to migrate to South America seeking similar wealth.


Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to Suriname. In case you were not aware, 93% of this country is covered by forest, making it the most forested country in the world. Sadly, Suriname’s status as the most forested country is under threat, primarily from China, which has expanded its gold-mining operations into Amazon rainforest communities—home to the Maroon Indigenous people, who have called this region their home for hundreds of years.


The use of toxic chemicals—cyanide and mercury—is the dominant extraction strategy deployed by large-scale Chinese mining operations to separate gold from the surrounding ore. Both chemicals pose serious health risks to the miners and are devastating to the forest, which these Indigenous people rely upon for their livelihood and cultural traditions.


Nevertheless, driven by uncertainty in the global economy, the price of gold has risen significantly in the last year, soaring to over USD 4,000 an ounce. In 2025, we find ourselves in the midst of yet another gold rush, which will only encourage more illegal mining activities at the expense of the environment that many Indigenous groups call their home. But these days you don’t have to leave your home with pickaxe in hand and venture to foreign lands as part of this gold craze; you need only purchase gold at your local Costco, jewelry store, or online marketplace—all of which will perpetuate the lure of gold.

The Deerfield Report - SEPTEMBER 2025

Previous reports - SEPTEMBER 2025

An Unfinished Picture: Brazil’s Right Searches for Unity

An Unfinished Picture: Brazil’s Right Searches for Unity

An Unfinished Picture: Brazil’s Right Searches for Unity

Brazil’s political scene is moving toward 2026 with the center-right in disarray. What emerges is less a coherent strategy than a puzzle of pieces still waiting to fit together. 

READ MORE

Argentina: Key Challenges Ahead for Javier Milei

An Unfinished Picture: Brazil’s Right Searches for Unity

An Unfinished Picture: Brazil’s Right Searches for Unity

The Javier Milei administration will face two crucial political tests within the next two months. On September 7 Buenos Aires province Argentina’s most populous district...

READ MORE

Bukele’s Model: Reform and Consolidation

Convicted Yet Unrestrained: The Uribe Case

Convicted Yet Unrestrained: The Uribe Case

In late July 2025, El Salvador’s Legislative Assembly approved sweeping constitutional reforms, abolishing presidential term limits, extending terms from five to six years...

READ MORE

Convicted Yet Unrestrained: The Uribe Case

Convicted Yet Unrestrained: The Uribe Case

Convicted Yet Unrestrained: The Uribe Case

Violence in Colombia has long been the thread stitching together its mountains and rivers—silent witnesses to bloody deaths, judicial processes which end with money...

READ MORE

Previous reports - May 2025

Suriname 2025: Reform, Resources & a New Era

Suriname 2025: Reform, Resources & a New Era

Suriname 2025: Reform, Resources & a New Era

On May 25th, 2025, the people of Suriname will head to the polls to elect a new government for the 2025–2030 term, in what is expected to be one of the most ...

READ MORE

Latin America: Aid Cut, Democracy Declines

Suriname 2025: Reform, Resources & a New Era

Suriname 2025: Reform, Resources & a New Era

In what many experts are calling an unprecedented rollback of humanitarian diplomacy, several Latin American countries have made the decision...

READ MORE

2025 Venezuela Elections Less Democratic, Lower Turnout Than Ever

2025 Venezuela Elections Less Democratic, Lower Turnout Than Ever

2025 Venezuela Elections Less Democratic, Lower Turnout Than Ever

“I won’t vote, because this isn’t an election. There’s no one to vote for, and since last year, Maduro’s government has been as fraudulent as it can be,” explains María

READ MORE

The Ongoing Crisis in Bolivia

2025 Venezuela Elections Less Democratic, Lower Turnout Than Ever

2025 Venezuela Elections Less Democratic, Lower Turnout Than Ever

Bolivia is currently experiencing a hybrid balance of payments crisis. As of December 2024, the country reported a current account deficit of 12% of GDP

READ MORE

Previous reports - DeCEMBER 2024

The Milei Revolution: Argentina’s Gamble with Radical Change

"Praça dos Três Poderes: A Symbol in the 2026 Election Battle"

"Praça dos Três Poderes: A Symbol in the 2026 Election Battle"

Argentina is now at the forefront of an international political and cultural revolution.  Javier Milei's disruptive and unapologetically anti-establishment profile...

READ MORE

"Praça dos Três Poderes: A Symbol in the 2026 Election Battle"

"Praça dos Três Poderes: A Symbol in the 2026 Election Battle"

"Praça dos Três Poderes: A Symbol in the 2026 Election Battle"

The events of November 13th, 2024, must be viewed in the context of the political battle currently unfolding for control of public discourse on social media ahead ...

READ MORE

Bolivia's Economic Reality and Political Transition

Bolivia's current economic reality is closely connected to its political landscape, particularly as the 2025 presidential elections draw close. 

READ MORE

Oil and Gas in Suriname: Key to Economic Prosperity?

Nearly US$600 million was invested by foreign oil companies in the search for oil off the coast of the Republic of Suriname.  In January 2020, the first lucrative oil ...

READ MORE

Previous reports - June 2024

Suriname Urges Action Against Corruption and Terrorist Financing

Suriname Urges Action Against Corruption and Terrorist Financing

Suriname Urges Action Against Corruption and Terrorist Financing

Suriname is falling short in the fight against corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing. That is the conclusion of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force

READ MORE

Why the 2024 Election May Not Be an Easy Win for Maduro

Suriname Urges Action Against Corruption and Terrorist Financing

Suriname Urges Action Against Corruption and Terrorist Financing

As the July 28th presidential election approaches, Nicolás Maduro's continuation in power seems less certain than in previous polls. 

READ MORE

Javier Milei’s new model sparks Argentina's largest protests

The massive marches in defense of public universities in Argentina mark a turning point in Javier Milei’s presidency. In a nation grappling with economic turmoil...

READ MORE

Haiti's rise of violence: A humanitarian emergency unfolding

Haiti, a Caribbean nation already burdened with a history of political turmoil and socio-economic challenges, finds itself grappling with a new and devastating crisis...

READ MORE

Previous reports - FEBRUARY 2024

Nayib Bukele Wins Reelection Despite El Salvador's Constitution

Nayib Bukele Wins Reelection Despite El Salvador's Constitution

Nayib Bukele Wins Reelection Despite El Salvador's Constitution

Nayib Bukele did not wait for the official results on February 4 to declare himself the victor of the presidential elections, ushering in a significant shift in the democratic political... 

READ MORE

An Early Assessment of Noboa’s New Security Policy

Nayib Bukele Wins Reelection Despite El Salvador's Constitution

Nayib Bukele Wins Reelection Despite El Salvador's Constitution

In October 2023, Daniel Noboa became the youngest person to be elected President of Ecuador.  However, Noboa has inherited a major problem which he must overcome...

READ MORE

Bolivian Mining And Geopolitics

Nicaragua's Catholic Church Faces Increased Persecution by Ortega

Nicaragua's Catholic Church Faces Increased Persecution by Ortega

Geopolitics revolves around the control of natural resources. Our territory has been endowed with many minerals that, at different times...

READ MORE

Nicaragua's Catholic Church Faces Increased Persecution by Ortega

Nicaragua's Catholic Church Faces Increased Persecution by Ortega

Nicaragua's Catholic Church Faces Increased Persecution by Ortega

Dozens of priests have been imprisoned and subsequently exiled. Temples are under surveillance, and homilies are being recorded. 

READ MORE

Previous reports - OCTOBER 2023

Ecuador's Presidential Elections Marked by Violence & Uncertainty

Ecuador's Presidential Elections Marked by Violence & Uncertainty

Ecuador's Presidential Elections Marked by Violence & Uncertainty

On October 15, Ecuadorians will attend the second Presidential and Legislative Elections round. The two favourite candidates are Luisa González...

READ MORE

Depletion of Gas Reserves in Bolivia: Economic Impact

Ecuador's Presidential Elections Marked by Violence & Uncertainty

Ecuador's Presidential Elections Marked by Violence & Uncertainty

Bolivia commenced exporting Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to Argentina in the 1970s and later extended its market to Brazil in the 1990s.  

READ MORE

Continuation or Disruption? Argentina's Upcoming Election's

Honduras Mirrors El Salvador's Crime War with Militarization

Honduras Mirrors El Salvador's Crime War with Militarization

The impending general election on October 22 presents a unique scenario in recent Argentine history. There is a possibility of a distinctly right-leaning party winning...

READ MORE

Honduras Mirrors El Salvador's Crime War with Militarization

Honduras Mirrors El Salvador's Crime War with Militarization

Honduras Mirrors El Salvador's Crime War with Militarization

On August 24, the Government of Honduras extended the State of Emergency for an additional 45 days, marking the eighth consecutive extension. 

READ MORE

Previous reports - JUNE 2023

Guatemala -A Tumultuous Race Marred by Exclusions and Controversy

Guatemala -A Tumultuous Race Marred by Exclusions and Controversy

Guatemala -A Tumultuous Race Marred by Exclusions and Controversy

As June 25th approaches, Guatemala is gearing up for a unique election season, where new presidents, congress members, mayors, and representatives...

READ MORE

Inequality fuels human rights violations by Maduro

Guatemala -A Tumultuous Race Marred by Exclusions and Controversy

Guatemala -A Tumultuous Race Marred by Exclusions and Controversy

"Since the pandemic began, Venezuela has experienced rapid economic and social changes," says Darwin José Delgado, a Ridery driver who works nights in Caracas. 

READ MORE

Lula's foreign policy towards the US, China, and Russia

Guatemala -A Tumultuous Race Marred by Exclusions and Controversy

Lula's foreign policy towards the US, China, and Russia

After four years of foreign policy that defied traditional paradigms of Brazilian diplomacy, Luis Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula) declared, "Brazil is back"...

READ MORE

Previous reports - march 2023

The Crisis in Ushuaia: The Need for Fair and Sustainable Housing

The Crisis in Ushuaia: The Need for Fair and Sustainable Housing

The Crisis in Ushuaia: The Need for Fair and Sustainable Housing

Ushuaia, a small city of about 140,000 inhabitants, is a popular place to live as it’s a tourist city recognized worldwide as “the end of the world.”  

READ MORE

Customs in Ushuaia: The Challenges of Importing goods

The Crisis in Ushuaia: The Need for Fair and Sustainable Housing

The Crisis in Ushuaia: The Need for Fair and Sustainable Housing

Argentina is one of the largest countries in Latin America, geographically speaking, and one of the most important economies in the region.

READ MORE

Peru Is No Longer A Democracy

Peru Is No Longer A Democracy

Peru Is No Longer A Democracy

The demonstrations that started in December 2022 following President Pedro Castillo's failed coup and subsequent removal and arrest have only gotten bigger and ...

READ MORE

The Malvinas Cause Today

Peru Is No Longer A Democracy

Peru Is No Longer A Democracy

The province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and the South Atlantic Islands is Argentina's southernmost and most extensive province. 

READ MORE

Previous reports - october 2022

Recent Colombo-Venezolana Commercial Border Reopening

Recent Colombo-Venezolana Commercial Border Reopening

Recent Colombo-Venezolana Commercial Border Reopening

After more than seven years, the Colombo-Venezolana border re-opened on September 26, 2022.  On August 7th, 2022, Venezuela welcomed President Gustavo Petro...

READ MORE

Teachers Protest New Regulations in Venezuela

Recent Colombo-Venezolana Commercial Border Reopening

Recent Colombo-Venezolana Commercial Border Reopening

“I’ve been a teacher for 25 years, and the situation has been particularly hard for the past seven,” said Mario Villanueva, a second and third-grade public school teacher in Petare...

READ MORE

Attempted Assassination of Vice President Fernández de Kirchner

Attempted Assassination of Vice President Fernández de Kirchner

Attempted Assassination of Vice President Fernández de Kirchner

On September 1 at 8:52 p.m. local time in the upscale Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, a man identified as Fernando André Sabag Montiel (35) waded through a crowd...

READ MORE

The Lithium Rush is reigniting old conflicts in South America

Attempted Assassination of Vice President Fernández de Kirchner

Attempted Assassination of Vice President Fernández de Kirchner

Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina hold the largest reserves of this increasingly valuable metal. But in the face of global demand for making batteries, these countries...

READ MORE

Previous reports - JUNE 2022

The Actual Influence of Taiwan and China in Paraguay

The Actual Influence of Taiwan and China in Paraguay

The Actual Influence of Taiwan and China in Paraguay

Paraguay is the only South American country that currently recognizes Taiwan as not a part of China (Bloomberg News 2021). 

READ MORE

Centrist Brazilian Voters in a Polarized Election

The Actual Influence of Taiwan and China in Paraguay

The Actual Influence of Taiwan and China in Paraguay

On October 2, 2022, the extreme right will face the radical left in the battle to determine who will be the next President of Brazil.  

READ MORE

The Rise of Disappearances of Women In Mexico

Persecution of Journalists Deepens in El Salvador

Persecution of Journalists Deepens in El Salvador

When Debanhi Susana Escobar went missing on April 9, there was confusing information about the events that led to her disappearance.

READ MORE

Persecution of Journalists Deepens in El Salvador

Persecution of Journalists Deepens in El Salvador

Persecution of Journalists Deepens in El Salvador

El Salvador might very well be one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a journalist.  The severe level of violence, police brutality...

READ MORE

Previous reports - February 2022

Suriname’s Largest Creditors are not Part of the IMF-agreement

Suriname’s Largest Creditors are not Part of the IMF-agreement

Suriname’s Largest Creditors are not Part of the IMF-agreement

On April 29, 2021, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reached a USD 688 million Staff-Level Agreement with the Republic of Suriname.  

READ MORE

Mass Trials and Severe Sentences in Cuba Deepen Social Unrest

Suriname’s Largest Creditors are not Part of the IMF-agreement

Suriname’s Largest Creditors are not Part of the IMF-agreement

When Walnier Luis Aguilar Rivera turned 21, he was sentenced to spend more time than he had lived in a prison in Cuba for participating in the demonstrations on July 11, 2021. 

READ MORE

Colombia’s Presidential Front-runner is Anti-Oil

Colombia’s Presidential Front-runner is Anti-Oil

Colombia’s Presidential Front-runner is Anti-Oil

Gustavo Petro is the likely favorite to become the first leftist president in Colombia.  He also once picked up arms against the state he now wants to lead.  

READ MORE

Venezuela: A Developing Crypto Nation?

Colombia’s Presidential Front-runner is Anti-Oil

Colombia’s Presidential Front-runner is Anti-Oil

Despite all its economic and political troubles, could Venezuela be on the path of becoming a legitimate Crypto Nation? Well, until the third quarter of 2021...

READ MORE

Join My Mailing List


Copyright © 2025 The Deerfield Report - All Rights Reserved.

Powered by