Hello, and welcome to the Latin America Weekly newsletter! In this issue: challenges for the region’s new “pink tide.” A Russian passport scandal in Uruguay. And the dangers for environmental activists.
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Latin America’s new “pink tide” will not be like its first one
A tighter-than-expected first-round lead for Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil’s presidential race was another sign that the new wave of left-leaning governments in Latin America does not mean a return to the “pink tide” years of the early 2000s, when the left gained a dominant political role across most of the continent.
Stronger right. Even if Lula ends up coming out on top in the October 30 runoff, incumbent Jair Bolsonaro’s solid performance means that Lula would face a hostile Congress and that the right is moving in a more radical direction, leaving less room for moderates.
- That trend is mirrored elsewhere in the region, with the rise of libertarian economist Javier Milei and the rightward shift of former President