This is timely - I was just looking for a reading on boat strikes to put on a syllabus and found surprisingly little in-depth analysis.

WOLA@wola-org.bsky.social · 3w ago

🚨 221 people. Killed in U.S. military strikes on small boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific — many broadcast on social media, backed by a secret legal memo. This Friday, we're releasing "Killing Spree," the first full report on the U.S. boat strike campaign. More soon.

Looking forward to the future political science article that estimates the marginal effect of winning the World Cup on Milei's vote share in 2027 🦈 www.nytimes.com/2026/07/19/w...

Argentines, Already ‘Losing Their Minds,’ Brace for World Cup Final (Gift Article)

A championship victory would be pure elation, but Argentina is already basking in a state of grace after a win against England and a monthlong fever dream.

nytimes.com

There's a new Handbook of Latin American Politics just published by Edward Elgar Publishing, featuring 73 chapters. I had the pleasure of contributing the chapter, "Guatemala: Precarious Democracy and the Menace of Impunity." www.e-elgar.com/shop/usd/han...

🎙️ Nayib Bukele registers to run for a third term in El Salvador’s 2027 election after scrapping term limits. If he achieves his goal, he’s set to stay in power until 2033. beta.elfaro.net/en/elfaro-au...

Podcast: Bukele Sets Stage for Third Term in El Salvador

In El Salvador, Bukele registers to run for a third term in 2027 after scrapping term limits. In Guatemala, Trump’s nominee for ambassador steps down amid turmoil over U.S. policy. Trump’s threat to…

beta.elfaro.net

📣¡Ya está abierto el Call for Papers para LASA2027 México! Te invitamos a enviar tu propuesta para el congreso “Navegar el colapso: reinventar la política, cuidar lo común”. ✔️Fecha límite de envío: 9 de septiembre Toda la información: https://loom.ly/VoTUeOQ #LASA #LASA2027

Colombian voters in 2026:

First round of voting is over. Colombia's version of "red" and "blue" counties doesn't appear to have changed much over the past 10 years.

Guys I think democracy's getting its mojo back. We're gonna need a political science new term for this. Democratic forward sliding?

Igor Sushko@igorsushko.bsky.social · 4mo ago

🚨 BREAKING: Magyar (TISZA) now projected to have super majority in Hungary. 135 seats. 45.71% votes counted so far.

Nos complace anunciar al ganador del Premio Donna Lee Van Cott 2025: Raúl Madrid (UT Austin) (@raullorcamadrid.bsky.social) por The Birth of Democracy in South America. www.cambridge.org/core/books/b.... ¡Felicitaciones! #LAPIS #LASA2025 #LatinAmericanPolitics

The Birth of Democracy in South America

Cambridge Core - Comparative Politics - The Birth of Democracy in South America

cambridge.org

1️⃣ What explains electoral success in Mexico’s gubernatorial elections after the democratic transition? The key was not government performance, but the support of the incumbent governor. On average, candidates from the governor’s party were about 42% more likely to win. 🧵

Happy to share that "Polarization and Democracy in Latin America" is out now with @uchicagopress.bsky.social and available in multiple formats. If it looks interesting, please consider requesting it at your university library! Check it out 👇 press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

Polarization and Democracy in Latin America

An insightful examination of Latin America’s contemporary democratic landscape and how it is marked by patterns of polarization and volatility. Although Latin American democracies have shown considera...

press.uchicago.edu

Electing an autocrat may have been a mistake

No runoff in Costa Rica: Laura Fernández has won the presidency. The incumbent party is projected to win 30 of 57 assembly seats, short of a supermajority. www.reuters.com/world/americ...

Fernandez overwhelmingly wins Costa Rica presidency as populist project secures new term

Right-wing populist Laura Fernandez won a commanding victory in Costa Rica's general elections on Sunday, while her ruling party is set to gain a majority in Congress.

reuters.com

Ecuador was already besieged by crime and violence. Now it faces a populist president whose “strong hand” policies show little success. They may do even more damage to the country’s democracy. Last chance! Read today to read free! muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

Costa Rica votes tomorrow. Rodrigo Chaves’s “heir,” Laura Fernández, will lead the pres. race – and may reach 40%, enough to avoid a runoff in 🇨🇷’s modified majority system. Watch the legislative assembly: if the PPSO wins a supermajority, changes to term limits seem likely.

‼️‼️ Check out our new first online article! 👇 Do Voters Reject Gay Candidates? We find no punishment among the general electorate: voters in Argentina reward gay candidates, while Chilean and Mexican citizens are indifferent. @rcastrocornejo.bsky.social journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Do Voters Reject Gay Candidates? Partisanship, the Far-Right, and the Electoral Effect of Candidate Sexual Orientation in Latin America - Lautaro Cella, Rodrigo Castro Cornejo, 2026

In recent years, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights and candidacies have expanded across Latin America. Some argue that such progress may prov...

journals.sagepub.com

I can't believe we're living in a world where the U.S. president accepts the Nobel Peace Prize as a bribe. This is just embarrassing.

Thor Benson@thorbenson.bsky.social · 7mo ago

He looks like a 79-year-old Make-A-Wish kid

"The ruler exercises his power without restraint... unencumbered by rules or by any commitment to an ideology or value system....[Norms are subverted by] arbitrary personal decisions of the ruler, which he does not feel constrained to justify in ideological terms."-Chehabi & Linz,Sultanistic Regimes

derek guy@dieworkwear.bsky.social · 7mo ago

amazing how the entire machine can pivot within 24 hours. no need to slowly upsell the argument; just issue new marching orders

Delcy Rodríguez on Saturday: “What is being done to Venezuela is a barbarity.” Delcy Rodríguez on Sunday: “We extend an invitation to the U.S. government to work together on a cooperative agenda." What a difference a day makes. Gift link: nyti.ms/4jmMYdc

A Test for Venezuela’s New Leader: Solidifying Power, but Pleasing Trump

nytimes.com

All we need now is L. Paul Bremer being brought out of retirement and the flat circle of time will be complete.

"The Monroe Doctrine is a big deal." He sounds like a failing student trying to bluff his way through an oral exam.

Latin Americanists this morning:

Looks like the U.S. owes someone $50 million

There's little information to go on right now, but it seems likely that Machado's efforts to woo Trump may come to naught if the Trump admin is content to capture Maduro and do nothing to ensure a regime transition. Showing once again that sucking up to Trump is a fool's bargain.

It seems likely that all of Machado's efforts to woo Trump may come to naught, as the U.S. captures Maduro but doesn't ensure a regime transition.

Sam Handlin@shandlin.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Trump is going to declare victory and leave the Maduro-regime-without-Maduro in place, isn’t he? The dumbest possible ending.

Wow. 1. A remarkable operation by U.S. forces & failure of Venezuelan security forces (or someone inside gave up Maduro’s location?). 2. Glad to see Maduro go. 3. No one knows what happens next. Will U.S. just leave Venezuela to sort it out? Will Cabello and Padrino take power? 🤷‍♂️