Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador’s nods to Russia and China are often read as a jealousy game in the U.S. bilateral relationship. Regional leaders claim sovereignty and multipolarity as their mantra. Experts say that non-ideological short-term calculus and a search for impunity are instead guiding their actions.

The “Engel List” adds five dozen names to the U.S. State Department’s corruption map, and the presidents of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras won’t be happy, as now banned from U.S. soil are many officials and business people linked to the Central American leaders.

Central America, in Brief: After the no-show of the Northern Triangle presidents at the Summit of the Americas, their foreign ministers gave strident speeches defying Joe Biden and named their countries’ terms for U.S. and regional engagement.

As of Monday afternoon, Honduras still had two parallel Congressional leaderships, both under suspicion of illegality, a sign that does not bode well for the stability for the first days of Castro’s presidency. 

The prospects of Honduras President-elect Xiomara Castro governing with the support of a solid congressional majority took a hit Friday when the selection of leaders for newly-elected lawmakers devolved into shouting and shoving among her own allies.

Honduras’ ruling party conceded defeat Tuesday in presidential elections held two days earlier, giving victory to leftist opposition candidate Xiomara Castro and easing fears of another contested vote and violent protests.

Record participation and a 20-point lead for Xiomara Castro defeated fears of a stolen election based on violence during the campaign and past fraud. If confirmed, the results will swing Honduras to the left after 12 years of National Party rule marred by narco-politics and intersecting humanitarian and economic crises.

It’s been a terrible century or so for Central America, but last year was especially rough.

A proposal to reform the Salvadoran constitution would loosen current limits on judicial power and extend the presidential term. Lawyers question the legitimacy of the reform and the implications for Nayib Bukele’s tightening grip on power.

Miguel Díaz-Canel was named the new head of Cuba’s Communist Party on Monday after Raúl Castro announced on Friday that he would be stepping down as the party’s leader,

Several other members of the interim government have also been arrested, including former General Williams Kaliman.

NEW YORK (AP) — A convicted Honduran drug trafficker and former leader of a cartel testified in United States federal court Thursday that he paid now-President Juan Orlando Hernández $250,000 for protection from arrest in 2012.

Biden’s immigration policies may seem to be an improvement from Donald Trump’s but without a clear Latin American policy agenda, his success may be limited.

Argentine police searched Leopoldo Luque’s home on Sunday and seized some medical records, computers, hard drives and cellphones.

What can be learned from the failures and successes of Latin America’s leftist parties and governments in the very recent past?

The current political crisis in the United States shares similarities with political issues in Latin America.

The minority group, which represents less than 10% of the seats held in the National Assembly, signed the agreement while appearing on state television.

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — In a closet-sized underground hip-hop studio in one of the deadliest neighborhoods in Honduras’ capital, Leonardo Sierra believes nothing will change in his country until the United States decides it should.

Canada is centrally involved in the life-and-death struggle for migrant justice in the United States.

It is reported that more than 300,000 people joined in the Dia del Trabajador march today.

On Sunday, Maduro stated on an interview with CNN that he will not be calling for early elections.