Lula’s policy is an attempt to exert influence over Brazil’s neighbor, but the recent past suggests this may have limited effect.

The country faces prolonged confrontation over the July 28 election crisis. These factors could indicate change is coming.

Nicolás Maduro "has shut the door on any hope for peaceful change" in Venezuela, says AS/COA's Eric Farnsworth to The Boston Globe. 

Protests, mass detentions and intimidation marked the first week after the presidential vote. Although complex, pathways to a democratic transition still exist.

"El miedo a convertirse en 'otra Venezuela' está en todas partes", dice Brian Winter de AS/COA a La Tercera.

Joe Biden "adoptó una posición a la brasileña, de cautela estratégica" con respecto a la situación en Venezuela, dice Brian Winter de AS/COA a La Nación.

The authoritarian bloc's "interests are not to manage the crisis, but disrupt the system," says AS/COA's Eric Farnsworth to The Washington Post.