Forging a Better Partnership with Guatemala

Vice President Kamala Harris and President of Guatemala Bernardo Arévalo in Washington. Photo credit: Sipa USA via Reuters Connect / Ron Sachs.

Guatemala could become a key partner in the US efforts to manage migration flows from Central and South America. Looking ahead, whoever is elected the next president of the United States, either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, will look to Guatemala to help manage migration in the countries south of Mexico.  Guatemala has been a […]

Latin American Views on the Gaza War Are in Flux

People hold signs reading "Gaza Free" and "Long live Palestine, beautiful, free and sovereign" at a pro-Palestinian march in Buenos Aires, Argentina, November 3, 2023. Photo credit: REUTERS/Tomas Cuesta

In the days and weeks after the October 7 terrorist attack and Israeli military response, some Latin American nations have distanced themselves politically from Israel. While views of the conflict are evolving, the Latin American public’s reliance on social media for news reports, amid relentlessly negative images of suffering in Gaza, has contributed to widespread […]

Unexpected Hope For Democracy in Guatemala

President-elect Bernardo Arévalo. Photo credit: REUTERS/Cristina Chiquin

The second round of presidential elections in Guatemala on August 20 produced a surprising victor: center-left opposition politician Bernardo Arévalo, who had polled just 11 percent in the first round in June. Guatemalans have voted for change, but with a four-month presidential transition ahead, the election results will not be really final until inauguration day on […]

Guatemala’s Hollowed-Out Democracy Faces a Test

Guatemalan presidential candidate Zury Rios and vice presidential candidate Hector Cifuentes attend a campaign rally in Guatemala City, Guatemala, April 16 2023. Photo credit: REUTERS/Luis Echeverria

On June 25, just over 9 million Guatemalans will head to the polls to elect a president, vice president, members of congress, and municipal authorities. The story behind Guatemala’s elections is complicated.