U.S. Department of State, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Jack Kolesar In the wake of his 2026 inauguration, Chile’s new head of state, President José Antonio Kast, has moved forward on a central pledge of his presidential campaign. Kast’s “Border Shield,” a network of border security infrastructure, is now under construction. This initiative seeks... Continue Reading →
Eneas De Troya, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Jack Kolesar Venezuela is currently in a prolonged state of profound uncertainty amid a series of events and crises over the past several years. Over a decade of economic collapse, hyperinflation, and chronic shortages have left its people struggling to meet basic needs. Currently,... Continue Reading →
President Yamandu Orsi Intendencia de Montevideo, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Jack Kolesar In January 2026, Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi embarked on one of Montevideo's most ambitious diplomatic missions in decades. Orsi led a delegation of 150 to the Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai with aims of expanding trade, investment, and... Continue Reading →
By Jack Kolesar In an October 19 runoff election across Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz Pereira was declared the next president of the South American nation. Paz, from the Christian Democratic Party, secured 54.6% of the vote over his opponent Jorge Quiroga.This victory signals a significant shift in the politics of Bolivia. Paz, a right-leaning centrist, will end... Continue Reading →
By Jack Kolesar On November 16, Chileans will head to the polls to vote for their next president, the successor to Gabriel Boric. With Boric, head of state since his 2021 election, barred from seeking another term due to term limits, voters must choose between a continued leftist government or a shift to a right-wing... Continue Reading →
By Suha Abrahim In 2024 Trump made combatting illegal immigration a large focus of his campaign. He hasstated, “Illegal immigrants have allowed crime rates to rise, and jobs have been taken from U.S.citizens.” As immigration raids have continued to escalate, many migrants have been stayinghome from work. This is affecting employers who rely on foreign... Continue Reading →
By Cora Kirby Daniel Noboa became Ecuador’s president in a 2023 snap election and now faces a presidential election this coming Sunday. The ballot will consist of 16 candidates, but Noboa and leftist lawyer Luisa Gonzalez remain the frontrunners. Gonzalez worked under former president Rafael Correa, and has garnered the support of many of his... Continue Reading →
By Cora Kirby Senior Trump administration official, Richard Grenell, traveled to Venezuela this week to speak with President Nicolas Maduro amidst the new administration’s heavy focus on deportations and anti-gang efforts. Grenell is said to be meeting with Maduro to pressure his government to accept deportations of migrants who have committed crimes in the U.S.,... Continue Reading →
By Sophie Ritzenthaler A crypto businessman that was tied to one of Brazil’s most powerful criminal groups was shot dead at the Guarulhos Airport in São Paulo on Friday. Three other individuals were injured in the shooting when five assailants opened fire on businessman Antônio Vinicius Gritzbach’s car. The apparent assassination was clearly a targeted... Continue Reading →
By Sophie Ritzenthaler In Argentia, the country’s risk index has been closely watched since it reflects how investors view the country’s debt and measures the possibility of a country defaulting on its debt. On Friday, the risk index dipped under 1000, the first time since August of 2019, the new index is currently set at... Continue Reading →
The Patterson Journal of International Affairs 