All Latin America Monitor

An 8 percent rise in disappearances could undermine the achievements of a gang truce, which has seen murders in El Salvador drop by nearly 60 percent since March, writes a guest blogger.

An influx of new voters and widespread apathy may be key factors, writes guest blogger Miguel Octavio.

Beyond urban sprawl there's an economic issue with Chile's car boom: crude oil is already Chile's biggest import, and an increasing reliance on gas could impact the country's trade balance.

Some question why the FARC would carry out such a high profile attack as the May 15 Bogota bombing when the government has broached the idea of peace talks, writes a guest blogger.

Venezuela's state oil company, PDVSA, sponsored Formula One champion Pastor Maldonado, stirring controversy over the PR campaign at home, writes a guest blogger.

Between 5,000 and 14,000 children are recruited as soldiers in Colombia, writes a guest blogger, and the recruitment of minors by gangs is increasingly a problem across Latin America.

Argentina's history is a continuous series of economic and political crises and they'll probably face another before the decade is out, but they still deserve a seat at the G20, writes a guest blogger.

The next president should include some military operations in his organized crime strategy, but focus on a transition back to civilian policing, writes guest blogger James Bosworth.

No one will claim the recent massacre in Mexico was caused by a drought, but water shortages in the north of both Mexico and Brazil are aggravating already difficult situations, writes a blogger.

If a new gun ban in Colombia's capital is linked to a drop in the murder rate, it could potentially serve as a model for the rest of Latin America, writes guest blogger Geoffrey Ramsey.

Rio+20 comes at a time when more and more events are being held in Rio, and will serve as an important test for the city's ability to accommodate and transport visitors, writes Rachel Glickhouse.

When Paul McCartney sings in Mexico City tonight, he'll be fulfilling countless people's dreams to hear Beatles' songs live. The Beatles were blocked from playing in Mexico in 1965.

Ben Linder, the only US citizen killed by US-backed contras during Nicaragua’s war in the 1980s, continues to inspire a new generation of foreign activists working with the country's poor.

Employees of Chile's emergency response offices have been charged after misinforming the public that there was no threat of a tsunami that killed 156 people, writes guest blogger Steven Bodzin.

The ambiguities over FARC-kidnapped Romeo Langlois' status as a POW is indicative of a wider debate over the status of journalists in modern conflict zones, writes a guest blogger.

Tomás Borge was the last living founder of Nicaragua’s Sandinista Front for National Liberation (FSLN).

Freedom of the press is under threat in much of the Americas, according to a Freedom House report.

Across the Americas candidates promise to follow the footsteps of Brazil's former President Lula. But 'Brazil envy' makes it possible to gloss over the country's shortcomings, writes a guest blogger.

There is evidence that drug trafficking organizations in countries including Mexico and Colombia have moved into counterfeiting, writes guest blogger Hannah Stone.

A number of Latin American countries have created absentee voting systems to allow their expats to vote in national elections. But what if an election is decided by voters abroad, asks a blogger.