Latin America Politics General Thread

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The US Government was very much behind the actions of the Guatemalan government in the times focused upon here stretching back several decades previous. We trained and equipped these fighters.

"3 Ex-Paramilitaries in Guatemala Get 40-Year Sentences for Rape of Maya Achi Women"​

HeadlineJun 02, 2025

"
A Guatemalan court sentenced three former paramilitaries each to 40 years in prison for crimes against humanity for raping six Indigenous Maya Achi women between 1981 and 1983, at the height of Guatemala’s bloody, U.S.-backed genocide. This is survivor Paulina Ixpata, speaking after the sentence was announced.

Paulina Ixpata: “I feel very good because we achieved justice, because we are not lying. We lived through it — not just me, other women, too. There are other women who are no longer with us. They died. They didn’t have the opportunity to see this justice. But we also hope that we get dignified reparations, because it is a government obligation.”
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A separate trial in 2022 convicted five other paramilitaries for raping Maya Achi women. At least 36 Maya Achi survivors have come forward to accuse U.S.-funded paramilitaries and soldiers of rape during the war. Twenty-nine survivors are still alive, including those in this most recent case."

 

White House taps special ops vet for key Latin America post, sources say​

By Gram Slattery
June 4, 20257:48 PM EDTUpdated 2 days ago

  • Michael Jensen will oversee Latin America policy at the National Security Council
  • White House has floated military action in Mexico to take out cartels
WASHINGTON, June 4 (Reuters) - The White House has tapped a career special forces operative with experience in counterterrorism operations to oversee Latin America policy at the National Security Council, two U.S. officials said.
The appointment of retired Air Force commander Michael Jensen as senior director of Western Hemisphere affairs at the NSC follows President Donald Trump publicly floating the idea of sending troops into Mexico to battle drug cartels.

In February, the Trump administration designated six Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, a move that some Democrats and analysts believe could serve as a legal pretext for U.S. military action in Mexico or other foreign countries.
Jensen, who served in multiple special tactics groups over the course of more than two decades in the Air Force, had been nominated in February to serve as assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict. The administration pulled that nomination in mid-May, according to a congressional notice that did not give a reason.

Jensen has no obvious Latin America policy experience, according to his LinkedIn profile and publicly available documents. A 2008 article written by an Air Force public affairs officer said Jensen helped manage a "high-value target hunt" in Afghanistan, during which he "guided 31 close air support and surveillance aircraft during a 5-1/2 hour mission, which disrupted al-Qaeda operations."
CBS reported in April that Jensen was a candidate for the post, though Jensen has only stepped into the position in recent days amid a broad shake-up at the NSC, said the U.S. officials, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.

TROOPS TO FIGHT CARTELS​

Trump said on the campaign trail that he might send troops to Mexico to battle drug cartels. During the final year of his 2017-2021 presidency, he privately floated the idea of launching missiles into Mexico, according to a memoir by his second defense secretary, Mark Esper.

In May, Trump said he had offered to send U.S. troops to Mexico to help Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum combat drug trafficking, an offer that she rebuffed.
Jensen's appointment comes at a fraught time for the NSC, which helps coordinate U.S. foreign policy across a large number of agencies.

In late May, dozens of staffers were cut in a purge, the latest and most dramatic in a series of cuts that started in March. Mike Waltz, the first national security adviser, was replaced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in early May and Rubio now holds the top posts at both the NSC and the State Department.

The White House did not confirm Jensen's appointment in a comment to Reuters, but defended the NSC reorganization.
"Under President Trump's leadership, the National Security Council has been right-sized to facilitate more streamlined processes and greater coordination between the White House and the federal agencies," said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly."

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Latin America set to benefit from US market shifts, investors say​



NEW YORK, June 9 (Reuters) - Latin America has emerged as a top investing destination as ongoing wars - both of the military and trade variety - make investors seek options in a region they view as refreshingly untroubled by tariffs and major conflicts.
Portfolio flows data suggests that investors are largely underexposed to Latin America even as many stock markets - including Brazil's and Mexico's - are trading at or near record highs, while sovereign bonds offer still-attractive yields. Although some prefer not to chase a stock rally, others have focused on the local debt market.

 
The average male height in Nicaragua is about 5'6". In much of Northern Europe, it's 6'0" or 6'1" (Serbia also, IIRC). In the US it's like 5'9, 5'10."

Small country + average height = never going to be good at basketball internationally. There could be a good player or two of course, but the talent pool of 6'6" people is probably less than 1% of the US. At 6'10, 6'11" it's probably much less than that.
 
superrific said:
The average male height in Nicaragua is about 5'6". In much of Northern Europe, it's 6'0" or 6'1" (Serbia also, IIRC). In the US it's like 5'9, 5'10."

Small country + average height = never going to be good at basketball internationally. There could be a good player or two of course, but the talent pool of 6'6" people is probably less than 1% of the US. At 6'10, 6'11" it's probably much less than that.
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They can hit the country transfer portal. Nationality is somewhat flexible when it comes to international sport.
 
superrific said:
The average male height in Nicaragua is about 5'6". In much of Northern Europe, it's 6'0" or 6'1" (Serbia also, IIRC). In the US it's like 5'9, 5'10."

Small country + average height = never going to be good at basketball internationally. There could be a good player or two of course, but the talent pool of 6'6" people is probably less than 1% of the US. At 6'10, 6'11" it's probably much less than that.
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5-10 - been a point guard all my life and never got more than long rebounds in organized play. On all but the one team I played on in Guatemala City I was expected to do inside work and was often the leading rebounder.

OTOH, I played a good bit of pick-up in Argentina and Brasil and it was back to point guard for me there.
 
I am also 5'10 Played a lot of basketball
but it was 95% driveway basketball-neighborhood basketball
3-4-5 dribbles then pass or shoot
When I got to be in my 30s I picked it up again in old man leagues Lord after3-4-5 dribbles I was not even close to half court and just did not know what to do ,,,,,,,,,
 
mpaer said:
I am also 5'10 Played a lot of basketball
but it was 95% driveway basketball-neighborhood basketball
3-4-5 dribbles then pass or shoot
When I got to be in my 30s I picked it up again in old man leagues Lord after3-4-5 dribbles I was not even close to half court and just did not know what to do ,,,,,,,,,
Click to expand...


I have to say that I grew to love the conical lane of international rules for the way that it works to keep the area around the rim clearer. The concept of the extra step to the hoop on lay-ups was something I never got used to though (All my Guatemalan friends actually called a lay-up un triple in fact...I suspect this is the term everywhere). In those days (I'm talking over 25 years ago, the three-point shot was already the goal in my circle there, as it was in Europe, and as we know, would become in the USA soon enough). Coaching and trying to get my teammates to work the ball around for a good shot...not the first three pointer available was particularly irritating. To play hard defense and get a steal only to pull up and toss a three from the top of the key rather than take it all the way to the unguarded hoop seemed like anathema to me in those times.
 
donbosco said:
www.economist.com

A Harvard man turned narco-gang-buster

Daniel Noboa assures The Economist he can save Ecuador without hurting democracy
www.economist.com www.economist.com
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"The president loves jogging. Yet so determined are gangsters to kill Daniel Noboa that his runs require a military operation. As his motorcade of black SUVs and outriders sweeps back to his apartment after a morning run in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s biggest city, a swarm of heavily armed soldiers surrounds him. Mr Noboa and his wife, incongruous in colourful lycra, slip swiftly inside. “We’ve had death threats on a daily basis for two years,” he tells The Economist, matter-of-factly.

Ecuador is deep in the bloody grip of transnational criminal gangs with links to Mexico, Colombia and Albania. They ship thousands of tons of cocaine, mostly made in Colombia, out of the country to Europe and the United States. Illegal mining and extortion bring in stacks more cash. Other Latin American countries have balked at taking on the gangs. Mr Noboa was recently re-elected on the promise to do just that. His efforts to make Ecuador safe again pose a crucial test that is about more than just one country: is it possible to beat back the rampant transnational gangs while respecting the rule of law and democracy?"
 
superrific said:
The average male height in Nicaragua is about 5'6". In much of Northern Europe, it's 6'0" or 6'1" (Serbia also, IIRC). In the US it's like 5'9, 5'10."

Small country + average height = never going to be good at basketball internationally. There could be a good player or two of course, but the talent pool of 6'6" people is probably less than 1% of the US. At 6'10, 6'11" it's probably much less than that.
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This is where averages can mislead.

They have region on the Caribbean coast that is largely of Jamaican descent. About 70% of their players come from that area. Costa Rica has a similar region: our premier football players are way over-indexed as coming from that region (about 8-10% of our population is black, yet 33% of our soccer team historically been black).

Plus they want to be good at the LatAm level, not challenge for an Olympic berth.
 
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CRHeel94 said:

Violeta Barrios passed away yesterday. She stunned observers in beating Daniel Ortega in elections in 1990. Her administration tiptoed a delicate tightrope as the country emerged from a decade long civil war, with criticism coming from all sides. IMHO, she is one of the underrated figures of Central American history.
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Why do you call her Barrios instead of Chamorro? Lord knows both names are huge in Central America. Was she related to Justo Rufino Barrios by chance? And I agree that she, along with the rest of her family, are major figures in history.
 
That's her maiden name. She married Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, so her married name in the traditional way is Violeta Barrios de Chamorro.

She was living in CR a few blocks away from my parents house. Had moved here a couple of years ago, but she was in pretty poor shape. Two of her kids are doing their exile here in CR; the other two are in the US I believe.
 
Interesting bit of news.

US state Department has revoked the tourist visa for the President of the Costa Rican Legislative assembly (Rodrigo Arias) as well as one of the top Judicial officials. Its speculated that they have done this at the urging of President Rodrigo Chavez who has tried to position himself as a staunch US ally (CR took in about 180 deported US migrants from third countries). Arias is one of the most prominent members of the Liberation party, one of the traditional CR parties. Sound like they revoked his visa for criticizing the US in some way.

Also today, Trump threatened to place a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports for their continued prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro. As a note, Brazil is one of the large economies that has a favorable trade surplus with the US.
 
So Chavez is trying to sidle into the Bukele Column of trumpista political allies in the region? That's awful sad.

And Bolsonaro...Jesucristo he's a real cerote...like trump he ought to be in jail yesterday.
 
Chavez (the CR President) is a bit of an odd duck. He'd love to ge re-elected (CR constitution doesn't allow consecutive terms). And he's fashioned himself as a unfiltered populist who talks down to the elites (even though he's a technocrat with a PhD and a worked at the World Bank for more than 20 years). Once he got elected he went right after the main media companies for daring to report his sexual harassment case while at the World Bank.

Costa Rica, like many CA countries, doesn't have much flexibility in its commercial relationship with the US. You either play ball or get fucked. But he's followed the Bukele strategy of sucking up, taking in deportees and receiving visits from Trump officials (Kristi Noem was here this past week).
 

Trump's new tariff threats are worse than ever for LatAm and other US policy comments - 14 July 2025​

The sequel to Liberation Day is worse for Latin America.​


"As Trump hit the 90 day deadline last week, we now get to see how the new, new Trump trade environment plays out. It’s turning out poorly for Latin America. 50% tariffs on Brazil. 30% tariffs on Mexico. 50% tariffs on copper. 10% additional tariffs on any BRICS ally. More announcements are likely to be made this week, and no Latin American country appears close to a deal yet. The new tariff rates are scheduled to take effect on 1 August.

The July tariff announcements are far worse for Latin America than the ones in April. Back on 2 April, nearly the entire region surprisingly escaped high tariffs and settled for the 10% baseline. For Central American and South American countries with a free trade deal with the US, 10% was a treaty violation, but still relatively better than the absurdly high rates being imposed on China and other Asian economies. For Brazil and Argentina, protectionist economies without a US trade deal that send most of their exports to China, 10% was an unexplained gift and an enormous win. Then Trump backed down and paused all the tariffs at the 10% level. This was fine for South America but bad for Central America, which was now facing a relatively worse trade environment. But it was all temporary. As the new rates are being announced, this is the worst tariff level yet for Latin America. While I don’t think it will stick, it does suggest a bad direction for US trade policy with the region.

The new stated reasoning for the tariffs has been quite political. Brazil’s letter is a condemnation of how Bolsonaro has been treated. Mexico’s tariffs cite the failure to stop fentanyl and defeat the drug cartels. I expect additional tariff announcements, including those against Honduras, Colombia, and Chile, to include similar political attacks. Is this Trump’s actual logic for tariff rates or just a legal justification he needs to impose tariffs that will stick with the courts? Nobody can be certain, but the letters suggest that there is plenty of room for negotiation.

Key point: This is not over. I read a lot of analysis this weekend bemoaning the failure of Sheinbaum to get a better deal than 30% or criticizing Lula for his immediate hawkish position on the tariffs (not to mention Canada and Europe). I think the criticisms are too early. There are more than two weeks for the countries to negotiate and for Trump to back down before the tariffs take effect. Additionally, they can be reversed as quickly as they were imposed. I don’t know exactly where all the tariffs will land, but if policy flip-flops are the only constant, then it seems quite likely that the tariff rate each country faces in January 2026 will be different from the ones announced in July 2025. In fact, for most countries, the tariff rates will probably change more than once before the end of the year. There are many more rounds of this tariff narrative to come.

The good news is that they will change. The bad news is that they will still not be locked in. In many ways, the uncertainty is worse than the tariffs for trade and foreign investment."

boz.substack.com

Trump's new tariff threats are worse than ever for LatAm and other US policy comments - 14 July 2025

The sequel to Liberation Day is worse for Latin America.
boz.substack.com boz.substack.com
 





"El Salvador has lost one more human rights group. The country's most prominent human rights group, Cristosal, announced on Thursday that it's being forced to shut down its operations in the Central American country.

The group was founded by Evangelical bishops to address human rights and democratic concerns after the country's civil war. But after 25 years documenting abuses in the country, the organization says escalating threats from the government of President Nayib Bukele – a key Trump administration ally - have made it unsafe for them to operate inside El Salvador. It will now continue its work in exile in neighboring Guatemala and Honduras."
 
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