Colombia

Energy

Military & Security

Politics

An attack against an army base in Colombia's eastern Arauca department, which the military attributed to the National Liberation Army, or ELN, killed two soldiers and injured at least 25 more, Semana reported Sept. 17.

Colombia: ELN Attack on Army Base Threatens To Obstruct Future Peace Talks

Economics

The Colombian government has proposed various tax increases -- including on carbon emissions, property, online gambling and wealthy individuals -- as part of a package of fiscal measures aimed at relaxing the country's spending cap and increasing revenue collection by 12 billion pesos ($2.82 million), El Pais reported Sept. 10.

Colombia: Petro Proposes More Tax Hikes to Fund 2025 Budget 

Truck drivers blocked roads in Bogota and 13 out of Colombia's 32 departments, causing heavy traffic jams and affecting public and school transport, garbage collection, and ambulance services, El Pais reported on Sept. 3.

Colombia: Persisting Road Blockages Over Fuel Subsidy Cuts To Fuel Supply Chain Disruptions

Brazil

Venezuela

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Colombian President Gustavo Petro held a call on Aug. 14 after their Mexican counterpart Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador withdrew from the multilateral initiative to seek a mediated solution to the impasse in Venezuela following the July 28 presidential election, El Pais reported on Aug. 15.

Venezuela: Election Negotiations Unlikely To Progress, Opposition Calls Demonstrations Worldwide

Colombian Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez said the country's armed forces restarted operations against the National Liberation Army, or ELN, after the government's cease-fire with the leftist rebel group expired on Aug. 3, Reuters reported on Aug. 5. 

Colombia: Armed Forces To Resume Operations Against ELN After Cease-Fire Expiration

Six soldiers died on July 4 after falling into a minefield in Colombia's Antioquia department while clashing with members of the Central General Staff (EMC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) armed rebel groups, DW reported.

Colombia: Six Soldiers Die in Minefield Following Clashes With Rebel Groups

The armed rebel group Second Marquetalia agreed to a unilateral cease-fire during peace talks with the Colombian government in Caracas, Venezuela, Reuters reported on June 30.

Colombia: Cease-Fire Agreement With Second Marquetalia Will Moderately Improve Security

Colombian Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez said President Gustavo Petro is considering fully suspending the government's cease-fire with the Estado Mayor Central, or EMC, rebel group in response to escalating violence in the country's south, Reuters reported on May 21.

Colombia: Government Considers Suspending Cease-Fire With Former FARC Dissidents

Snapshots

Colombian President Gustavo Petro sits in front of a Colombian flag during a meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, on May 6, 2023. 

The president's struggle to find consensus with lawmakers will likely see him resort to controversial decrees or referendums to try to enact his proposed policy reforms. 

In Colombia, Ongoing Legislative Gridlock Bodes Ill for Petro's Reform Agenda

Colombian President Gustavo Petro participates in a march for International Workers Day in Bogota, Colombia, on May 1, 2024. 

The ongoing scandals and growing public dissatisfaction with the government will prolong political volatility and policy uncertainty in Colombia, while increasing the risk of social unrest.

What Another Corruption Scandal Means for Colombia's Fragile Government

Assessments

Iran

Israel

Palestinian Territories

China

Germany

India

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) April 12 in Dausa, India.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Indian Elections, Scholz Goes to China

Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks during a meeting between the government, the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla leadership and civil organizations in Bogota, Colombia, on Aug. 3, 2023. 

President Petro is unlikely to fully abandon his flagship policy, but the government's recent decision to restart airstrikes against criminal groups indicates that it's reevaluating its broader security posture.

Amid Continued Setbacks, Colombia's Petro Rethinks His 'Total Peace' Strategy

Argentina

El Salvador

Mexico

Panama

Peru

Flooding on the Rimac River on March 18, 2017, in Chosica, at the foot of the Andes east of Lima, Peru. The current El Nino contributed to floods, crop failure, heat waves and drought across Latin America in 2023, and its effects will persist until it lifts in the second quarter of 2024.

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The current El Nino contributed to floods, crop failure, heat waves and drought across Latin America in 2023, and its effects will persist until it lifts in the second quarter of 2024.

How El Nino Will Impact Latin America in 2024

Bolivia

Chile

Cuba

United States

People attend a rally in support of Israel in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Oct. 22, 2023. 

Social Issues

Anger over the conflict could temporarily strain Israel and the U.S.'s relations with left-wing governments in the region, while countries with large Jewish or Arab populations may see more security-related incidents.

Latin America's Response to the Israel-Hamas War 

Ecuador

Guatemala

Honduras

Soldiers conduct a patrol on July 22, 2023, in the Salvadorean municipality of Colon, where the MS-13 gang reportedly remains active. 

The success of El Salvador's counter-crime state of emergency in reducing the country's homicide rate will be hard to replicate, despite the efforts of nearby countries.

The Appeal (and Perils) of Crime Crackdowns in Latin America, Part 1

Costa Rica

Nicaragua

Strained government resources, increased organized crime, political tensions and supply chain disruptions are likely to rise in tandem with migration.

How Record Migration Will Impact Central America

Colombian President Gustavo Petro delivers a speech in Congress in Bogota, Colombia, on July 20, 2023. 

Even if Petro manages to stay in power, his son’s money laundering charges could reduce support for his administration’s reform agenda and ongoing peace talks with guerrilla groups.

A Campaign Finance Scandal Threatens Colombia's President

Niger

Lebanon

A demonstration July 27, 2022, in Niamey, Niger, after a coup. The Economic Community of West African States is expected to discuss the July 26 coup in Niger next week, with French officials saying an extraordinary summit could occur July 30.

The Weekly Rundown: ECOWAS Considers Its Response to Niger, Drama at Lebanon's Central Bank Deepens

Columns

On Geopolitics

A flag of the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group flutters in the wind in Catatumbo, Colombia, on Aug. 18, 2022. 

Even if the government successfully disarms the country's powerful guerrilla groups, new ones will only take their place as long as Colombia's drug trade remains lucrative.

Will Colombia Ever Achieve 'Total Peace?'

Colombian President Gustavo Petro (center) presents his government's pension reform bill to lawmakers in Congress in Bogota, Colombia, on March 22, 2023. 

President Petro's proposed healthcare, pension and labor reforms could improve the lives of poorer Colombians, though it may come at the expense of private investment.

Colombia's Leftist Government Embarks on an Ambitious Reform Push

Colombia is located at the strategic meeting point of Central and South America. The country shares a land border with Panama, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru and Ecuador, and has coasts on both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.    Colombia's modern borders began to take shape in 1831 with the division of Simon Bolivar's Gran Colombia. In 1903, the country lost another strategic territory when Panama gained its independence. Ever since, Colombia has had to maintain friendly relations with whoever controls the Panama Canal.    Colombia is dissected by three Andean mountain ranges: the Western, Central, and Eastern Cordilleras. Because of the country's tropical equatorial climate, major population centers are concentrated in temperate zones at higher altitudes.     The country's economic and political heartland is the capital city of Bogota. This core region has a population of roughly 8 million people. The Magdalena River Basin connects the core to Cartagena and Barranquilla, the country's largest ports.      The dense Amazonian rain forests to the south, the sparsely populated Orinoco plains to the east, and the Pacific coastline make up Colombia's periphery. These regions are home to valuable commodities such as oil and coal, as well as areas of drug trafficking and rebel insurgency. Consolidating control over these areas is currently Colombia's primary geographic challenge.      Looking forward, the country's natural resource wealth and close proximity to the United States could lead to ongoing economic opportunities. That said, the country will continue to be constrained by security challenges and by poor integration between Colombia's population centers, the resource-rich hinterlands and the coasts.

SITUATION REPORTS

Colombia: ELN Attack on Army Base Threatens To Obstruct Future Peace Talks

Colombia: Petro Proposes More Tax Hikes to Fund 2025 Budget

Colombia: Persisting Road Blockages Over Fuel Subsidy Cuts To Fuel Supply Chain Disruptions

Venezuela: Election Negotiations Unlikely To Progress, Opposition Calls Demonstrations Worldwide

Colombia: Armed Forces To Resume Operations Against ELN After Cease-Fire Expiration

Colombia: Six Soldiers Die in Minefield Following Clashes With Rebel Groups

Colombia: Cease-Fire Agreement With Second Marquetalia Will Moderately Improve Security

Colombia: Government Considers Suspending Cease-Fire With Former FARC Dissidents

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