Mat Youkee
Foreign Policy
Colombia
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Past articles by Mat:
How a New Gas Deal Is Reshaping Venezuela-Colombia Relations
A new gas deal could boost both economies but comes with major risks for Bogotá. → Read More
China circles El Salvador’s economy as country edges toward crypto plunge
President Nayib Bukele bet on bitcoin and its tumbling value has put the Central American country in a financially precarious spot → Read More
‘We were told our brothers were dead’: Chile’s lost tribe reclaims identity
History books said the Selk’nam, inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South America, were extinct but Chile may be about to legally recognize their descendants → Read More
Gothic becomes Latin America’s go-to genre as writers turn to the dark side
The region used to be almost synonymous with magic realism but recent bestselling fiction draws on a legacy of dictators, poverty and sinister folklore → Read More
Nayib Bukele calls himself the ‘world’s coolest dictator’ – but is he joking?
El Salvador’s president is consolidating power and seems intent on rewriting the country’s constitution → Read More
Analysis: Scepticism Grows in El Salvador Over Pioneering Bitcoin Gamble
El Salvador will be first to adopt cryptocurrency as legal tender next month – but economists are sounding warnings over risks. → Read More
El Salvador’s bitcoin experiment goes live – as president offers tech support
Nayib Bukele tweeted advice as the cryptocurrency became legal tender – not entirely smoothly – but critics call it a big distraction → Read More
Scepticism grows in El Salvador over pioneering Bitcoin gamble
Country will be first to adopt cryptocurrency as legal tender next month – but economists are sounding warnings over risks → Read More
Squawking bird blows the whistle on fake video trying to tilt Ecuador election
A widely shared video appeared to show Colombian guerrillas backing a candidate – but an ornithologist spotted something awry → Read More
How Long Can Portugal Continue to Play Both Sides of the U.S.-China Rivalry?
Plans to redevelop Portugal’s Sines port have become the latest source of friction between the U.S. and China, suggesting that Lisbon’s strategy of courting both rivals is backfiring. Cozying up to China was once a way to attract attention from the U.S. and EU, but that increasingly comes with diplomatic costs. → Read More
US makes fresh pitch to Latin America in bid to counter China's influence
Experts say Growth in the Americas programme is attempt to reassert US control – and seems likely to anatagonise Beijing → Read More
In Suriname, Bouterse Is Out, But His Shadow Looms Large
On July 13, long-ruling President Desi Bouterse handed over the reins of power in Suriname to Chan Santokhi, a former police chief who has pursued murder charges against Bouterse for 15 years. Santokhi faces several challenges, including a dire economic crisis and divisions in his coalition government. → Read More
How Panamanian villagers were left at the mercy of a murderous sect
When a woman and six children were ritualistically killed in the indigenous community of Alto Terrón the official response was complicated by the absence of police and health services → Read More
The Panama Canal Could Become the Center of the U.S.-China Trade War
Panama’s strategic and symbolic importance place it at the heart of growing trade tensions. → Read More
'We are hostages': indigenous Mapuche accuse Chile and Brazil of genocide
Group told the International Criminal Court the countries had committed genocide and torture against Indigenous populations → Read More
Panama Papers ‘tightened the noose’ on offshore assets of Maduro’s inner circle
In the wake of the scandal, it became increasingly hard to launder money through investment in Panamanian real estate for Venezuelans who grew rich on the back of their political connections → Read More
Panama the new flashpoint in China's growing presence in Latin America
A spat over the site of China’s embassy has underlined the strategic value of the canal – through which two-thirds of ships to or from the US pass → Read More
Earthquakes, mudslides and a volcano: the world's riskiest city
Due to its unparalleled exposure to natural disasters, Manizales in central Colombia is globally recognised for its innovative approach to prevention and response → Read More
Guyana's border towns threatened by violent gangs as Venezuela crisis deepens
Danger from violent sindicatos that rule Venezuela’s eastern border has exacerbated a century-old territorial dispute → Read More
Why the lost kingdom of Patagonia is a live issue for Chile's Mapuche people
The Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia was dismissed as the 19th century folly of a quixotic Frenchman but it left a powerful legacy of indigenous sovereignty → Read More