Monthly Risk Spotlight: December 2022

AMERICAS Debt Servicing and Unrest in the Americas For numerous economies in the Americas, where entire political and ideological legacies have risen and fallen at the whim of global markets, the concept that events on the other side of the world can define their reality at home is nothing new. In 2022 this is as… Read more »

Monthly Risk Spotlight: November 2022

AMERICAS Protests Return to Panama as Government Proposed Social Security Reforms Protesters were once again in the streets in Panama as negotiations continued between the government and protest leaders regarding potential reforms to the Caja de Seguro Social (Social Security Fund), also known as the CSS. The CSS is responsible for managing insurance programs for… Read more »

Monthly Risk Spotlight: October 2022

AMERICAS Targeted Killings in Antigua Guatemala’s city of Antigua is experiencing an apparent spike in violent crime after six people were killed in three separate incidents over the span of thirteen days in late September. While as of mid-October no further killings have been reported, the September spike represents a significant increase in violent crime… Read more »

Monthly Risk Spotlight: September 2022

AMERICAS Upcoming Presidential Election in Brazil After four years with Jair Bolsonaro as President, Brazil is scheduled to hold elections on Sunday, October 2 to select a new President. This vote, which also elects the National Congress and take place simultaneously with state legislative/executive elections, looms large as two controversial candidates compete to be reelected…. Read more »

Monthly Risk Spotlight: August 2022

AMERICAS Domestic Spending and Global Factors Force Economic Crisis on Argentina On 28 July it was announced that Argentina was about to swear in its third Minister of Economy in less than a month. The announcement comes after the original minister resigned citing a lack of political support and the second was removed just three… Read more »

Monthly Risk Spotlight: July 2022

AMERICAS Protests and Root Causes in Ecuador On 28 June Guillermo Lasso, Ecuador’s first center right President elected in close to two decades, narrowly avoided being impeached after just over a year in office. What precipitated that vote, which saw 80 national assembly representatives support the measure (just 12 shy of the 92 needed to… Read more »

Monthly Risk Spotlight: June 2022

AMERICAS New President, New Colombia? On Sunday, June 19, Colombia held its Presidential runoff elections. The election pitted two very different populists against each other, with both considered anti-establishment by traditional Colombia political elites. Gustavo Petro received more than 50% of the vote over challenger Rodolfo Hernandez and will become Colombia’s next President. Petro’s election… Read more »

Monthly Risk Spotlight: May 2022

AMERICAS Cyber Risk and Preparedness in Latin America On 27 April, the Russian cybercrime group, Conti, announced that it had hacked the Peruvian Dirrección General de Inteligencia (National Directorate of Intelligence) and would release sensitive information if payment was not made. This comes after Costa Rica’s Ministry of Labor and Ministry of Finance servers were… Read more »

Monthly Risk Spotlight: April 2022

AMERICAS Global Prices Spark Unrest in Peru Peru is facing significant unrest as protesters have clashed with police and disrupted overland transit throughout much of country, including Lima and Ica, since late March. The story of how these protests were initiated and progressed is one of multiple chain reactions and exhibits how in a globalized… Read more »

Monthly Risk Spotlight: March 2022

AMERICAS Prospects for US/Venezuelan Relations Amid Rising Energy Prices On March 5, high-level US officials met with Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro, in Caracas’s Presidential Palace for most strategic discussions between the US and Venezuela in over two years. Topics discussed included the ongoing detainment of nine US citizens/permanent residents of Venezuela and “regional energy security.”… Read more »