Latin American Lowdown

 " As the Fentanyl Crisis Worsens, the U.S.-Mexico Divide Deepens," Washington Post, April 30, 2023   The United States and Mexico are locked in a bitter dispute over responsibility for the fentanyl crisis in the U.S., with Americans saying Mexican crime groups are flooding the U.S. with the dangerous opioid and Mexicans saying it comes from Asia. Republicans in the 2024 elections are expected to advocate U.S. military action against drug labs in Mexico as overdose deaths of Americans soar from the drug, which is 100 times more potent than morphine. Of some 100,000 overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2021, two-thirds involved synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl. The drug is the top cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 49, the Post says.  But analysts say military action won’t stop fentanyl deaths in the U.S. because labs are hard to find and if one crime boss is killed another will step in. And military intervention likely would infuriate Mexico, a top U.S. trading pa...

 " Bolsonaro Ends Exile and Returns to Brazil," New York Times, March 30, 2023   The former right-wing president of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro returned home after a three-month self-imposed exile in the United States. Defeated for re-election last year, Bolsonaro faces over a dozen investigations by Brazil’s electoral body, writes Times reporter André Spigariol. He’s accused among other things of spreading misinformation that the election was stolen by the left through fraudulent means. “If convicted in any of those cases, he would be ineligible for office for eight years,” says Spigariol.     "Mexico Treats Border Deaths as Homicides," New York Times, March 30, 2023   Government workers and private security employees did not permit refugees trapped in a migrant detention center to escape a fire at the facility, leading to their deaths, according to Mexican authorities. They are reportedly bringing homicide charges against those blocking the exit of the migrants. ...