Hot Latin America Links

Some Latin America links to get your day going.

--I am quoted in the Danish newspaper Kristeligt Dagblad about Latin American elections, especially Brazil. I think it comes off sounding like I am saying Latin American presidents are incredibly powerful, though the point I was trying to make is that the electorate is anti-incumbent and the president ends up bearing a lot of the blame.

--Steven Hyland talks to Amy Erica Smith on the Historias podcast about the Brazilian election. Glass half full: Brazil's democracy may be withering slowly rather than quickly.

--the Congressional Research Service published a short report comparing NAFTA to NAFTA 2.0. More use of the word "reportedly" than you might like.

--the National Security Archive published declassified documents showing that Augusto Pinochet did not plan to accept the results of the 1988 referendum, and instead wanted to use violence to justify staying in power. Neither the Reagan administration nor his own junta was on board with this.

--the Venezuelan government is extremely violent.

--Mark Feierstein on why there are no good options in Venezuela.

--Nicolás Maduro correctly notes that Jair Bolsonaro is anti-democratic and intolerant, though fails to mention that this also describes him.