Latin American Nations at a Crossroads: Status‐quo or Policy Change?

Abstract

This first issue of Latin American Policy for 2020 takes the pulse of major events in the region. Readers will find six well-written research articles dealing with policy challenges in key Latin American countries. Élodie Brun and Kevin Parthenay offer a sociological study on how states and institutional actors within the United Nations deal with the Venezuelan crisis and Nicaraguan issues under their respective agendas, highlighting the “multiple voices” that coexist in the multilateral organization. Felipe Brasil, Ana Claudia Niedhardt Capella, and EJ Fagan elaborate an innovative approach to explain public policy in Brazil by applying the punctuated equilibrium theory to agenda setting in the country. Victoria Finn and Sebastián Umpierrez de Reguero’s contribution highlights the language, timing, and implementation of Chile’s current migratory policies, considering whether they seek simply to satisfy international standards, with no true inclusivity. Our first section also includes two studies on Colombia. Catalina Montoya Londoño explores the divergent media diplomacy messages that the United States and the European Union use when reporting on the fragile peace process in the country, while Milan Skolnik studies the repercussions of corruption on political participation. Finally, this section includes research by John P. Tuman and Hafthor Erlingsson explaining the rationale behind Chinese foreign direct investment in Mexico in recent years. Since Latin America is currently a hot spot for many diverse phenomena and challenges, we have invited respected specialists to cover significant issues on the front burner today. Our Policy and Perspectives sections include different essays assessing current key aspects of human rights in Bolivia, the triumph of the Peronists in the last Argentine presidential election, social upheaval in Chile, the political impasse in Venezuela, and Mexico’s relationship with the United States after the first year of the López Obrador administration. The aim of all these documents and essays is to inform our readers and give them the necessary tools to decodify the specific situations taking place in these countries, which find themselves trapped between tried and true policy options that stick to the status quo, or new ones that could prompt changes. Isidro Morales is a researcher and professor in the School of Government and Public Transformation at the Tecnológico de Monterrey, and an external fellow of the Mexico–United States Center at Rice University’s Baker Institute.