
Change is good. This is a popular expression in many countries around the world. Winston Churchill once said, “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” But is this true? Does change necessarily lead to better development? I suppose it depends on what existed prior to the change and, just as importantly, what results can be observed as a consequence. Most people are afraid of change, preferring to settle into routines that create structure in their day-to-day lives. I am no different—I wake up every morning (more or less) at 06:15, make my coffee, eat my toast with peanut butter, and scan the news online for thirty minutes before reviewing my emails and starting my workday.
Moving from my breakfast table to the world stage, there has been widespread change in 2025. However, let’s limit the discussion for now to South America, which has experienced a wave of political change marked by shifting ideologies, rising citizen activism, and electoral transformations. Across the continent, voters are demanding greater transparency, economic stability, and solutions to social inequality—challenges that have defined recent years of unrest and economic strain.
For example, Argentina witnessed a significant shift with the election of a centrist coalition, replacing the previously dominant populist leadership. Promising pragmatic economic reforms and stronger international partnerships, the new government seeks to rebuild investor confidence while addressing domestic inflation and poverty.
Meanwhile, in Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum—Mexico’s first female president—has maintained the populist tone of her predecessor while pledging to strengthen democratic institutions. Her administration has focused on judicial reforms and curbing violence, while navigating the complex relationship with the United States, particularly in matters of trade and migration.
In the Andes, Bolivia and Peru remain politically turbulent. Bolivia faces rising tensions between government supporters and opposition groups over electoral integrity and indigenous rights. Peru continues to grapple with political instability, having cycled through multiple presidents in recent years, with ongoing protests reflecting deep dissatisfaction with the political elite. Whether these political changes are good or not remains to be seen. The year 2025 is shaping up to be a pivotal one for Latin America, as its countries navigate a complex landscape of economic recovery, political realignment, and citizen mobilization. I am an optimist who believes that change is refreshing and invigorating—akin to taking a holiday. Change is inevitable, political or otherwise, so we must embrace it, own it, and most importantly, learn from it if we, as a society, are to move forward.
Argentina is now at the forefront of an international political and cultural revolution. Javier Milei's disruptive and unapologetically anti-establishment profile...
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 ...
Bolivia's current economic reality is closely connected to its political landscape, particularly as the 2025 presidential elections draw close.
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 ...
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
As the July 28th presidential election approaches, Nicolás Maduro's continuation in power seems less certain than in previous polls.
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...
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...
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...
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...
Geopolitics revolves around the control of natural resources. Our territory has been endowed with many minerals that, at different times...
Dozens of priests have been imprisoned and subsequently exiled. Temples are under surveillance, and homilies are being recorded.
On October 15, Ecuadorians will attend the second Presidential and Legislative Elections round. The two favourite candidates are Luisa González...
Bolivia commenced exporting Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to Argentina in the 1970s and later extended its market to Brazil in the 1990s.
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...
On August 24, the Government of Honduras extended the State of Emergency for an additional 45 days, marking the eighth consecutive extension.
As June 25th approaches, Guatemala is gearing up for a unique election season, where new presidents, congress members, mayors, and representatives...
"Since the pandemic began, Venezuela has experienced rapid economic and social changes," says Darwin José Delgado, a Ridery driver who works nights in Caracas.
After four years of foreign policy that defied traditional paradigms of Brazilian diplomacy, Luis Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula) declared, "Brazil is back"...
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.”
Argentina is one of the largest countries in Latin America, geographically speaking, and one of the most important economies in the region.
The demonstrations that started in December 2022 following President Pedro Castillo's failed coup and subsequent removal and arrest have only gotten bigger and ...
The province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and the South Atlantic Islands is Argentina's southernmost and most extensive province.
After more than seven years, the Colombo-Venezolana border re-opened on September 26, 2022. On August 7th, 2022, Venezuela welcomed President Gustavo Petro...
“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...
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...
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...
Paraguay is the only South American country that currently recognizes Taiwan as not a part of China (Bloomberg News 2021).
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.
When Debanhi Susana Escobar went missing on April 9, there was confusing information about the events that led to her disappearance.
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...
On April 29, 2021, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reached a USD 688 million Staff-Level Agreement with the Republic of Suriname.
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.
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.
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...
Abimael Guzmán’s cruelty is widely known in Peru and Latin America. Guzmán was born in Arequipa, he studied Law and Philosophy and was a professor and administrative...
Guyana became one of the most sought-after regions for new oil exploration after more than 9 billion barrels of recoverable oil and gas were discovered off it’s coast.
Economic and political ties between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have significantly strengthened over the last decade.
When Nicaragua holds presidential elections on November 7th, Daniel Ortega will have secured a fourth consecutive presidential term, his fifth in total and the second.
The protests occurring in Colombia, in the midst of the most devastating peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, were triggered by a few key events one must understand to know...
As in every other domain of global politics, the Covid-19 pandemic has shaken the dynamics surrounding Taiwan’s bout for international recognition and China’s efforts...
"Prisoners housed in specific cells based on their gang affiliation is over. We have placed all terrorist groups in the same cell, in all security penal centers...
The general elections to be held on November 28 of this year represent an unprecedented opportunity to end the authoritarian regime of the National Party
Two weeks ago Nicolás Maduro’s government began an unprecedented military operation in the southwest of the country. Their enemy: leftist FARC dissident group the 10th Front.
On April 11th Ecuador will elect a new president in the midst of the worst economic crisis the country has experienced since its return to democratic rule in 1979. The Ecuadorian economy was devastated by COVID-19...
It is plausible that 2020 marked an inflection point in China’s relationship with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). According to joint research between Boston University’s...
Haiti has been rocked by protests for months. Protesters have flooded the capital, Port-au-Prince, in demonstrations that have, at times, turned violent demanding...
When Evo Morales was elected President in 2006, Bolivia began a new political era, one which it’s designers called “the Plurinational State.”
One year after massive street protests rocked the nation, Chileans held a plebiscite on October 25, to vote on whether to redraft its constitution...
Over the past two decades, China gradually became Africa’s single largest lender, funneling close to $150 billion to the region.
Cross-continental calamities have a way of accelerating ongoing technological disruptions, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception.
Peru is reeling on multiple fronts; first, the multi-pronged crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic is devastating both the economic and the public health sectors
When Nicaragua erupted into widespread protests in April 2018, the illusion of authoritarian stability offered by president Daniel Ortega was dispelled.
After more than 11 weeks without gasoline, the Venezuelan border city of Táchira is finally receiving shipments of the Iranian fuel...
Paramaribo, the capital and first smart city in Suriname, is raising questions about civil liberties and foreign espionage. During the second weekend of September...
Since President Ivan Duque declared a national quarantine in early March, various armed groups in Colombia have utilized the national lockdown to consolidate power...
A debt crisis is looming in Argentina. The monetary policies of Argentinian Vice President Cristina Kirchner have created serious macroeconomic imbalances...
Bolivia finds itself grappling with a dual crises. Already hard hit by the pandemic as the number of Covid-19 cases skyrocket, the interim government ...
On June 1, 2019, Nayib Bukele's ascended to the El Salvadorian presidency. He offered the promise of a young new leader who would break the partisanship...