Latin America’s new leaders turn to old ideas

On 7 August, Gustavo Petro received Colombia’s presidential sash from the daughter of Carlos Pizarro, a former guerrilla leader who was assassinated while running for president in 1990. It was a watershed moment for Colombia, a country that has long suffered from guerrilla warfare and terrorism. Petro, himself a former guerrilla, rode a wave of discontent that grew with the Covid-19 pandemic and had already carried anti-establishment candidates to the presidencies of Peru and Chile in 2021.