Latin America
New Internationalist reports on the political changes and movements of Latin America. From the Zapatistas to the Just Transition movement, we aim to publish diverse perspectives from across the region. Here you can also read more about each individual country in our profile series.
Why Brazil struggles to tax the super-rich
Lula is trying to make Brazil’s tax system more progressive but faces a tough struggle, says Leonardo Sakamoto.
History on repeat: Aberfan and Mariana
Rebecca Jarman and Diana Salazar report on the stark similarities between two mining-related tragedies.
How Ecuadorians saved Yasuní
Danny Chivers reports on how the people of Ecuador voted against the oil giants and for the Yasuní National Park.Latin America: Prohibition or climate?
To address climate change, Clemmie James argues that we must reckon with the environmental impact of the global drug trade.Letter from Shapajilla: The Storyteller
Stephanie Boyd reports from an Amazonian village where traditional ways of life are changing with modern times.
View from Brazil: Agribusiness lobby scuppers climate gains
Brazil wants to be a beacon in the fight against global warming, Leonardo Sakamoto writes. Its powerful agribusiness lobby has a different view.Letter from Nauta
Stephanie Boyd experiences new life amid grief on a night voyage in the Peruvian Amazon.Bolsonaro’s return to Brazil is mired in lawsuits
Leonardo Sakamoto on Jair Bolsonaro’s not-so-triumphant return, as he faces a slew of lawsuits over alleged election meddling in Brazil.Brazilian Blood Gold
Leonardo Sakamoto on Lula's efforts to give Brazil's Indigenous Yanomami communities a reprieve.The two 9-11s
This year is the 50th anniversary of the Chilean coup that brought General Augusto Pinochet to power. September, a new show by Brazilian playwright Tereza Briggs-Novaes prompts us to think about responsibility, love and betrayal, writes Vanessa Baird.
Letter from Anta: Until we meet again
Stephanie Boyd on a beautiful farewell in Peru’s southern Andes.Killing of protesters sparks early elections
Vanessa Baird traces how Peru’s political turmoil swiftly tipped into bloody state violence.
The threats and promises game
Leonardo Sakamoto on Brazil’s vote-buying scandals.‘Self-coup’ backfires for Peru’s Pedro Castillo
Vanessa Baird explores an episode of political suicide and high drama, extraordinary even by Peru’s standards.
A new era under Lula?
From an increase in religious freedom to protection of the Amazon, there are high hopes for Brazil’s returning president. Raphael Tsavkko Garcia speaks to activists about their dreams for the future.
Does Brazil support democracy?
Authoritarians have been embraced in a country where public opinion is in favour of democracy. Leonardo Sakamoto argues for politics to be revitalized.
The violence of Brazil's 'wildcat' gold mining
Indigenous activist Mauricio Ye’kuana speaks on the dangerous fight to protect his people’s land.
Will Bolsonaro’s spending spree leave any winners?
With an election looming, Jair Bolsonaro has set an economic timebomb for Brazil, writes Leonardo Sakamoto.
Shooting the messenger
Leonardo Sakamoto on the journalists the Brazilian establishment loves to hate.
‘Stop the poison’
Peruvian women call on Anglo-Swiss mining giant Glencore, investors and UK and EU parliamentarians to take action on toxic drinking water. Vanessa Baird reports.
A new chapter for Colombia?
Colombia’s first leftwing president-elect, Gustavo Petro, is riding a wave of hope. But, as Nick MacWilliam outlines, many challenges that need to be met head-on lie ahead.
A global just transition
How can we phase out fossil fuels in a way that works for people everywhere? The historic Cochabamba People’s Agreement offers a way forward, argues Max Ajl.
Standing firm against fracking
The Mapuche people in Argentina are saying no to an influx of transnationals trying to frack their lands. Grace Livingstone reports.
Spotlight: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Novelist Silvia Moreno-Garcia pushes back against the stereotypes associated with Latin American culture. By Graeme Green.
Letter from Buenos Aires: the big blackout
Being forced to go without electricity sparks thoughts about living differently for Virginia Tognola.
‘Our culture is vanishing’
In the Amazon rainforest, remote communities descended from enslaved African people, are taking on the palm oil production that threatens their land. Miguel Pinheiro reports.
Could the Left take power in Colombia?
With the South American country closer than ever to electing a leftwing government, Nick MacWilliam explores what it could mean for peace and human rights.
Who will protect the land?
Hazel Sheffield explores how the history of failed land reform in Colombia threatens both people and planet.
Reversing Pinochet’s legacy will be an uphill battle
Carole Concha Bell on Chile’s unfinished revolution.
Introducing...Iris Xiomara Castro Sarmiento
Could social reformer Iris Xiomara Castro overturn Honduras’ reputation for authoritarian governance and corruption? Richard Swift weighs up the possibilities.
Taking back the streets
A message to the powers that be in Buenos Aires – with a song and a dance. Virginia Tognola joins in.
The gathering storm
Leo Sakamoto laments the dawn of the climate era – and worries for the fate of the most vulnerable.
The interview: Isabel Allende
Graeme Green speaks to the Chilean author about her inspiration and the power of fiction as a useful history teacher.