Democracy and societyCuba has its back against the wall As fuel runs dry in Havana, Trump’s blockade risks humanitarian disaster and a dangerous new normal By Bert Hoffmann
Democracy and societyCosta Rica is not an outlier, but a warning sign Yesterday’s election marks the start of an authoritarian transformation, legitimised by a democratic mandate By Daniel Mann
Democracy and societyDemocracy can’t be imported Intervention can force change at the top, but it cannot deliver democracy. In Venezuela, the decisive struggle is between internal power blocs By Anika Oettler, Stefan Peters, Jonas Wolff
Economy and ecologyStrength in partnership The EU–Mercosur deal is more than a trade agreement. It is a commitment to rules-based cooperation in an increasingly unstable world By Bernd Lange
Foreign and security policyThe show must go on The absence of the president and the first lady shows that Venezuela is not a one-man dictatorship and never has been By Anja Dargatz
Democracy and societyFear over vision José Antonio Kast sweeps to victory, riding a wave of frustration and deep distrust toward the ruling left By Cäcilie Schildberg
Foreign and security policyReturn of the gunboats Trump’s mix of military muscle and tariff pressure signals a bid to fold Latin America back into a compliant US ‘backyard’ By Herbert Wulf
Democracy and societyTriumph of the old order The election results in Honduras are still uncertain. But one thing is clear — the ruling left-wing party has suffered a massive defeat By Daniel Mann
Democracy and societyChile needs a miracle The upcoming elections will reveal whether the country gives in to fear — or finds the courage to believe in a more just society By Cäcilie Schildberg
Democracy and societyCapitalism for all After 20 years of socialist rule, an outsider wins the election in Bolivia. Centrist politician Rodrigo Paz takes over a country in crisis By Christine-Felice Röhrs
Can the US afford to leave NATO? NATO may no longer suit America’s neo-isolationists — but leaving the Alliance would exact a price history has yet to calculate
Who owns the green transition? Europe’s decarbonisation policies risk deepening inequality unless labour is placed at their centre
Escape from reality The German left retreats from X. Yet those who seek political exchange only where it is comfortable will eventually lose their influence in society