Letter from Latin America: Region tilts to the left

Brazil and Colombia may be about to follow the pattern of their neighbours in taking a political left turn

Latin America is not a monolith, as anyone who knows the region will tell you. Brazil is the size of a continent and holds more people than the entire population of Western Europe. Mexico, while smaller geographically, is also one of the world’s most populous countries. Yet in many ways the two could not be more different. In terms of language, economy and culture, Brazil and Mexico have distinct features that make them unique, but there is also an undeniable overlap. In fact, almost all the mainland countries of Latin America share a common backstory in terms of the Iberian conquest and the linguistic and cultural inheritance it carries: a shared history of colonialism and exploitation. And