![Former army commander Juan José Zúñiga is detained in La Paz on June 26.](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2158855246-300x200.jpg)
REACTION: Bolivia’s Failed Coup Attempt and What It Means
The army’s commander, Juan José Zúñiga, tried to seize power before backing down.
![Progress on Reducing Latin America’s Femicides Has Stalled. Women in Mexico protest against gender-based violence during International Women's Day on March 8.](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2068194424-300x200.jpg)
Progress on Reducing Latin America’s Femicides Has Stalled
Much can be done to prevent more murders, but only if decision-makers and society as whole are more proactive in tackling this pressing problem.
![Chilean President Gabriel Boric delivers a state of the nation address on June 1. Untangling Chile’s Pension Reform: The government wants to overhaul the pension system, but a gradual modernization would be a more effective path.](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/BoricJune2024-300x200.jpg)
Untangling Chile’s Pension Reform
The government wants to overhaul the pension system, but a gradual modernization would be a more effective path.
![Venezuelan citizens protest the disqualification of María Corina Machado at a demonstration in Bogotá in February. Venezuela’s Election Faces Seemingly Insurmountable Obstacles.](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TTVenezuelaJune2024-300x200.jpg)
Las elecciones en Venezuela enfrentan obstáculos aparentemente insuperables
El régimen de Maduro está obstaculizando la observación internacional y el derecho al voto, complicando un panorama electoral ya de por sí incierto.
![View from the hills outside Concepción, Chile, where Aclara plans to extract rare earths. Rare Earth Elements Are Trending. Will They Drive Latin America’s Next Mining Boom?](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GaripRareEarths1-300x200.jpg)
Rare Earth Elements Are Trending. Will They Drive Latin America’s Next Mining Boom?
The region has the ideal mix of these vital inputs for green technology—but low prices and permitting lags stand in the way.
![U.S. President Joe Biden and President of Mexico Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador at the '2023 North American Leaders' Summit on January 2023 in Mexico City. The American Counterweight in Mexico: Washington needs a viable policy that balances a stricter line to protect critical U.S. interests at a vulnerable moment.](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-1455358628-300x200.jpg)
The U.S. Counterweight in Mexico
Washington needs a viable policy that balances a stricter line to protect critical U.S. interests at a vulnerable moment.
![Venezuelan citizens protest the disqualification of María Corina Machado at a demonstration in Bogotá in February. Venezuela’s Election Faces Seemingly Insurmountable Obstacles.](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TTVenezuelaJune2024-300x200.jpg)
Venezuela’s Election Faces Seemingly Insurmountable Obstacles
Maduro’s regime is impeding international observation and the right to vote, complicating an already uncertain electoral landscape.
![A soldier patrols the Ecuadorian town of Durán, Guayas Province in Sept. 2023. Latin America’s Murder Rates Reveal Surprising New Trends.](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-1675017258-300x200.jpg)
Latin America’s Murder Rates Reveal Surprising New Trends
Homicide data from the region’s cities show signs of progress in some places and cause for concern in others.
![A rally against the far-right following the EU elections in Montpellier, France, on June 14, 2024. The EU’s Elections May Have Unexpected Reverberations in Latin America.](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2156912433-300x200.jpg)
EU’s Elections May Have Unexpected Reverberations in Latin America
The advance of the far right could impact FDI decisions and set the tone for the future of trade with the region.
![](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/IMG_1675-300x200.jpg)
Igniting Guyana’s Long-Awaited Constitutional Reform
A reform initiative may help to end historic polarization exacerbated by a booming oil industry as the 2025 election looms.
![Opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia speaks at a rally in Guatire, Miranda, on May 31.](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2154891193-300x200.jpg)
In Venezuela, Some Chavistas Are Quietly Drifting Toward the Opposition
A reshuffle in political sympathies may increase the opposition’s chances in the upcoming July 28 election.
![](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Lula-in-Saudi-Arabia-cropped2-300x199.jpg)
Saudi Arabia Courts Latin America and the Caribbean
Next week’s Saudi-run summit in Rio is the latest step in the Gulf nation’s increased engagement with the region.
![](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2155264445-300x200.jpg)
How Claudia Sheinbaum Will Be Different From AMLO
Mexico’s next president may prove less popular but “more competent” than her predecessor, the author writes.
![Mexico's President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum celebrates her victory at the Zócalo in Mexico City on June 3.](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sheinbaum-300x202.jpg)
REACTION: Sheinbaum’s Unexpectedly Big Landslide in Mexico
The ruling Morena party dominated the elections, securing Mexico City, new governorships and likely supermajorities in Congress.
![Workers construct a new port in Chancay, Peru in March. Can Copper Prices and Nearshoring Restart Peru’s Economic Dynamism?](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2089866627-300x200.jpg)
Can Copper Prices and Nearshoring Restart Peru’s Economic Dynamism?
Politics has been a drag on this former regional growth star, and hasn’t improved. But global economic conditions have, writes a former finance minister.