Blog

A dysfunctional political system finds itself unable to solve a crisis that was triggered by an undemocratic president, now in prison, and which was deepened by the current president by using lethal force to repress legitimate protests - writes Dr Julio F Carrión.

The 8th of January 2023 will be recorded in history as a deeply dark day for Brazilian democracy. The world witnessed not only an attack against a democratically elected government, but also against the very notion of democratic, republican institutions - writes Dr Vinicius de Carvalho.

Peru faces a deep political crisis in the wake of Pedro Castillo’s failed coup d’état on December 7th. President Boluarte faces quite a difficult task in finding a roadmap to negotiate a constitutional way out of it. The continuation of Peru’s democracy may rest in her ability to do so - writes Dr Julio Carrión.

Gustavo Petro has served as President of Colombia for 100 days. In Canning House's latest blog, Dr Gwen Burnyeat and Dr Andrei Gómez-Suárez give their view on his tenure so far, including his focus on "Total Peace" and environmental protection, and ahead to the challenges he can expect going forward.

Though concerns from parts of Brazilian society about potential unrest taking place during the country's 7th September Independence Day celebrations did not materialise, the run-up to the 2nd October presidential elections have not been devoid of political violence, with security risks likely to continue into the coming years - write Mário Braga and Rodrigo Russo.

On the evening of 1st September a man approached Vice-President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (CFK) outside her home in Buenos Aires, pointing a loaded gun at her head at point-blank range and attempting to pull the trigger. In a context of deepening socio-economic hardship and concerns over governability, risks appear to be rising in Argentina - writes Jill Hedges.