In Latin America, most drug-related insecurity is caused not by drug use itself, but by policies that persist in combating it through prohibition and punishment.
Brazil's presidential race is now being fought in Washington as well, where Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro seek to turn foreign policy into electoral capital.
Venezuela and Cuba are experimenting with a limited economic opening to preserve political control, following the model of China and Vietnam without opening the door to democratic freedoms.
The figure of the "American friend" continues to symbolize an unequal power relationship, from the Cold War to contemporary transatlantic and Latin American politics.
