It was a decade that began with great promise – and ended in a wave of protests and crisis.
The 2010s in Latin America were frequently surprising, sometimes tragic and never dull. As the decade draws to a close, AQ has selected 10 stories that embodied these ups and downs. They run a wide gamut, from political upheavals to natural disasters, diplomatic breakthroughs and the biggest corruption scandal ever uncovered.
We’ve also tried to explain why these events mattered – in ways that were not always obvious at the time.
Stay tuned for the full list of AQ’s selections, which we will unveil between now and the end of the year.
Dec. 4 – Dilma’s Impeachment
The tide turned quickly on Brazil’s former president.
Dec. 5 – Haiti’s Earthquake
Manmade problems are still exacerbating a tragedy provoked by natural disaster.
Dec. 9 – U.S.-Cuba Policy Whiplash
Barack Obama’s 2014 decision to normalize ties with Cuba seemed to mark the end of the Cold War in the Western Hemisphere. Then President Trump upended it.
Dec. 10 – Four Female Presidents
For 58 days, Latin America made history as four women served simultaneously as heads of state.
Dec. 11 – The Rise and Fall of CICIG
The groundbreaking anti-corruption agency’s demise showed that impunity won’t die quietly.
Dec. 12 – Hurricane Maria
The natural disaster devastated the Caribbean – exposing corruption and climate risks in its wake.
Dec. 16 – Goodbye, Chávez
A leftist icon dies, a country collapses.
Dec. 17 – AMLO’s Election
Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s persistence paid off, but his predecessors’ incompetence delivered the prize.
Dec. 18 – Colombia’s Peace Deal
An imperfect peace deal edges forward, despite road blocks.
Dec. 19 – Odebrecht
The “largest foreign bribery case in history” continues to shake the region.
