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Migrants trek through the Darien Gap towards the border with Panama.
Sexual assault spikes in the Darién Gap
Crossing the remote, dense jungle is dangerous enough, but now the migrants face a worrying uptick in sexual assaults against women and children. Médecins Sans Frontières has documented nearly 400 sexual assaults there this year, as armed gangs exploit the record number of migrants crossing the jungle. Due to the stigma around sexual assault, fear of perpetrators, and concern that reporting will delay the journey north, the real number is likely far higher. Most of the violence is occurring on the jungle’s Panama side, which lacks the drug cartel that acts as a police force on Colombia’s side of the border.
In August, communication between Panama and Colombia fell apart after they failed to reach a deal to regulate their border. Talks have not resumed, with both countries pointing the finger at the other to take the lead. Yesterday, the US Department of Homeland Security announced it would send a team to Panama, but solely for training purposes. With no sign of a drop in migration, the fear is that the perils facing migrants are becoming normalized as governments fail to address the crisis.A group of demonstrators burns an image of the Prime Minister of Israel, BENJAMÍN NETANYAHU, during a protest in front of the Israel Embassy in Santiago, Chile, for his military actions in Gaza.
South American countries recall Israel envoys over Gaza
Colombia and Chile recalled their ambassadors to Israel, and Bolivia severed relations with the country entirely in reaction to the scorched-earth tactics used by Israeli forces in Gaza. All three governments fall under a left-wing tradition in Latin America that is heavily pro-Palestinian.
Bolivia has historically terrible relations with Israel, and the move is no surprise. Left-wing icon and former President Evo Morales first severed ties in 2009 after Israel invaded Gaza in late December 2008, and he praised sitting President (and protegé-turned-rival) Luis Arce’s decision.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro was formerly a member of the M-19 guerillas, a radical left-wing group that terrorized urban areas before demobilizing in 1991. He’s pushed the boundaries of decency in his condemnations of Israel, going so far as to liken the country’s actions to those of Hitler and the Third Reich.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric, less radical than Petro or Arce, has nevertheless been unequivocal in his criticism of Israel’s operations in Gaza while still condemning Hamas’ terrorist atrocities and pledging to work toward a two-state solution.
Colombia and Chile also have large ethnic Arab minorities, which tends to lend weight to discourse over Middle Eastern issues, but isn’t the proximate cause of the current spat. Up to 3.2 million Colombians are of Arab descent (ever heard of Shakira?). They’re mostly Lebanese but include around 100,000 people of Palestinian heritage.
Meanwhile, Chile is believed to have the largest Palestinian diaspora outside the Middle East, with up to 500,000 members. The community has tended to prosper, and remains visible in public life: The Club Deportivo Palestino plays in the colors of the Palestinian flag and has twice won Chile’s top-tier soccer league. Legislators of Palestinian descent have a caucus in Congress, and Chile has been an observer in the Arab League since 2005.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro gestures after casting his vote during the elections for governors, regional lawmakers and mayors, in Bogota, Colombia October 29, 2023
Has Petro petered out?
President Gustavo Petro saw his allies lose elections across Colombia’s largest cities this weekend in what is widely viewed as a rebuke to the government and its reform agenda.
Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing leader, promised transformational change, but he has struggled to deliver. His frustration is tangible: When centrist Cabinet ministers opposed a controversial health care reform in April, the impasse broke apart his coalition, and Petro fired a third of his Cabinet, appointing ideological allies instead. He attempted to govern by emergency decree in La Guajira department, only to be stymied by the constitutional court, while his congressional priorities have slowed to a crawl. To make matters worse, his administration has been embroiled in separate corruption and wiretapping scandals.
Voters haven’t had it any easier. Colombia’s economy grew by 7.3% in 2022 but is expected to grow by just 1.7% in 2023, straining families in one of the world’s most unequal economies.
The weekend’s contests saw no widespread violence or irregularities, but voters are clearly displeased. The candidate Petro endorsed for mayor of the capital, Bogotá, often considered the country’s second most prominent political office, came in third, and Medellín and Cali elected some of Petro’s fiercest critics.
Petro himself can’t run for office again in 2026, and Eurasia Group’s Colombia expert Maria-Luisa Puig says the results portend ill for his chances of positioning a candidate to carry on his political legacy — but he’s not quite a lame duck.
“Despite the defeat at the local level,” she notes, “Petro can still secure enough votes in congress to advance aspects of his reform agenda,” which may allow for watered-down versions of his pension and health care programs to pass.
Colombian president Gustavo Petro gives a speach
Colombia’s Petro clashes with Israel
The deepening war between Israel and Hamas could have security implications as far away as the Andes. In recent days, Israel announced it would cut exports of security technology to Colombia, after Colombian President Gustavo Petro likened Israel’s chokehold on the Gaza Strip to the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz.
For decades, Israel has been a close security partner for Colombia, helping the South American country as it grappled with the triple challenge of armed guerilla insurgencies, rightwing paramilitary groups, and powerful drug cartels.
Over the years, Colombia has imported Israeli fighter jets, drones, armed vehicles, helicopters, cybersecurity technology, border surveillance equipment, and anti-aircraft missiles. As recently as January, Petro’s government inked a $130 million contract for Israeli air defenses.
The cutoff of Israeli arms exports – which also interrupts maintenance services for those technologies – comes at a tough time for Petro on the security front. The former guerilla was elected as Colombia’s first left-wing president last year but has struggled to meet his promise to deliver a negotiated “total peace” with remaining guerilla groups and cartels.
Despite his success in reaching a truce with one of the largest remaining insurgent groups, a poll last week showed 85% of Colombians think the security situation is “getting worse.” Coca production, meanwhile, is at all time highs.
The US angle. The Biden administration will not want this spat to deepen. Colombia is Washington’s closest security ally in South America, receiving more foreign assistance from the US than any other country in the region, as part of Washington’s decades-long War on Drugs.
Not backing down. For now, the notoriously headstrong Petro is standing his ground. “If we need to suspend ties, then we will suspend them,” he wrote on X. “We do not support genocides. No one insults the president of Colombia … Hitler will be defeated.”
Television media broadcast commentaries as delegates arrive to the United Nations 76th General Assembly amid protests on September 21, 2021 in New York City, USA.
What’s on deck at the UN for Tuesday, September 19?
Our intrepid Senior Writer Gabrielle Debinski is on the ground with our colleagues from GZERO World for the latest updates. Also, if you missed our rundown of the major items on the agenda on Friday, catch up here.
Please note, leaders are listed in the order in which they are expected to speak, but the schedule sometimes runs ragged. You can find a complete schedule here.
Major Speakers on Tuesday
- Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva: By tradition, the Brazilian president opens every General Assembly debate. Lula has complained about too much focus on Ukraine at the expense of other global issues, watch for his rhetoric here.
- U.S. President Joe Biden: The only leader from a permanent member of the Security Council who is attending the summit in person, expect lots on Ukraine and appeals for development aid and climate action..
- Colombian President Gustavo Petro: The left-wing leader called for an end to the war on drugs in his first UNGA speech last year — and now cocaine exports are booming.
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Often the belle of the geopolitical ball the past two years, Turkey has played a crucial role in the Black Sea grain deal and is the only NATO member with good ties to Moscow. This one is worth your time.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: With his counteroffensive making slow progress and whispers of “Ukraine fatigue” spreading across Europe and the US, the actor-turned-president is looking to make a command performance to shore up support.
Major Conferences
- Day 2 of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development Goals
Line graph of Amazon rainforest deforestation
The Graphic Truth: The big picture of rainforest deforestation
Eight Amazon rainforest nations are gathering in Brazil this week for a two-day summit of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization. It’s the first time the group has convened in 14 years, and negotiations on more than 130 issues are expected to prove contentious, especially proposals to prohibit new drilling projects and end deforestation.
The heads of state from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela will be in attendance. Colombian President Gustavo Petro is leading the charge to block all new oil development, and he is pressuring his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva, to join him. Meanwhile, Brazil is considering a huge offshore oil development near the mouth of the Amazon River.
Lula pushed for a pre-summit pledge to end deforestation by 2030, and six of the eight nations agreed, with only Bolivia – whose forest loss increased by 32% last year – and Venezuela abstaining.
The preservation of the Amazon rainforest is key to humanity’s fight against climate change. Here we look at the levels of deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest since the beginning of the century.
Nicolas Petro, son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro
Fathers and sons: Colombia scandal edition
The president’s son has been arrested and charged with money laundering! No, not Hunter Biden. It’s 36-year-old Nicolás Petro, son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
The charges, unsealed this week, stem from allegations by the younger Petro’s ex-wife, who says she helped him amass millions in bribes while he was serving as a local politician. In one instance, she says, they tricked a drug kingpin into believing he was giving them money to support the elder Petro’s 2022 presidential campaign. Petro Jr denies all the charges, which carry decades-long prison terms.
Will this hurt his dad? Gustavo Petro, a left-wing former guerilla and capital-city mayor who was swept to power last August on a platform of radical social change, has had a rough go of it so far. He has lost key allies and had to reshuffle his government once already. His approval ratings are mired in the low-30s, down by nearly half since he took office, and plans to expand healthcare, workers' protections, and pensions are largely stalled in Congress.
While he has reached a ceasefire with Colombia’s largest remaining guerilla group, cocaine production is soaring and cartels seem to be growing more powerful, not less.To top it all off, a separate scandal involving allegations of wiretapping and drug money continues to swirl around him.
Of his son’s legal troubles, Petro said he will not intervene and that he hopes young Nicolás will “reflect on his mistakes.” Tough love indeed, and that will play well in a country used to elites bailing their kids out of trouble. But as the investigations deepen, keep an eye on whether his son’s mistakes end up reflecting on Petro himself.
See Ian Bremmer’s interview with Gustavo Petro from last fall here.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
Is Colombia’s Petro showing his true colors?
Colombia’s leftist President Gustavo Petro sacked much of his cabinet earlier this week in a move that suggests the headstrong former guerrilla might be moving in a more confrontational direction after just eight months in office.
Evidently frustrated by opposition to his sweeping health care reform plans, Petro booted several centrist parties from his government, removing Finance Minister José Antonio Ocampo, whom investors had seen as the key guardian of Colombia’s fiscal stability.
Rewind: When Petro was elected as the country’s first left-wing president last August, he worked hard to reassure his critics that although he’d been given a mandate to shake up an elite-dominated system, he was also a consensus-minded leader. But with his approval ratings sagging and his reform agenda stalled, is Petro betting on a more radical approach now?
The biggest risk is that Petro can, if he chooses, call millions into the streets to put pressure on legislators. This was a trick he pulled back when he was mayor of the capital, Bogotá. But in a country as deeply polarized as Colombia, things could get ugly fast. Buckle up.
Check out GZERO Media's exclusive interview with President Petro here.