9 Latin American Countries Shift Right as Security-First Politics Align With Washington
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 4
9 Latin American Countries Shift Right as Security-First Politics Align With Washington
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 4
Summary
Nine Latin American countries now have right-wing, center-right or security-first governments, with Colombia's initial count showing Abelardo de la Espriella narrowly ahead and signaling the latest possible move in that direction.
Crime, weak growth and failed institutions drove the shift, but the report says Washington's tougher regional posture after Maduro's fall, Cuba's fuel crisis and the Iran war gave it strategic momentum.
Bukele-style politics has become the model: leaders campaign less on free markets than on visible force, using emergency powers, mass arrests and military-backed security branding to promise order.
Razor-thin victories in Colombia and Peru suggest not a broad ideological consensus but fractured electorates reaching for protection as trust in traditional parties and the old left erodes.
For the United States, a more aligned hemisphere could aid counternarcotics, migration control and competition with China, though the report warns pro-American strongmen are not the same as durable democratic institutions.
As leaders copy El Salvador's brutal security model, is Latin America sacrificing democracy for an illusion of safety?
Can US-backed security crackdowns truly dismantle cartels, or will they only escalate the cycle of regional violence?
From Chile to Bolivia: The 2025-2026 Right-Wing Wave Reshaping Latin America’s Politics
Overview
Between 2025 and 2026, Latin America experienced a significant political shift to the right, highlighted by the election of an ultra-conservative president in Chile—the most right-wing leader since the country's dictatorship. This change reflects growing public dissatisfaction with ongoing political cycles and persistent challenges like economic recession, high inflation, and rising crime. Voter fatigue and a desire for new leadership have fueled the rise of conservative ideologies across the region. At the same time, strong external influence from the United States, especially under the Trump administration, has further shaped national policies and leadership directions in Latin America.