Secret Weapons, Sex Tips Can’t Save Rulers: Alexandre Marinis What are we to make of loony leaders?

Kids Toys, Pay Hikes Keep Leftists in Power: Alexandre Marinis The ruling coalition of left-wingers who’ve governed Chile for 20 years lost the first round of voting for a new president earlier this month.

Currency Management Loses Out to the Market: Alexandre Marinis In economics, as in other endeavors, too much of a good thing can be dangerous.

Brazil’s Blackout Spurs Hacker Speculation: Alexandre Marinis “Never believe anything until it has been officially denied,” said English journalist Francis Claud Cockburn.

Nobel Is Like Oscar for Not Finished Movie: Alexandre Marinis It’s ludicrous that President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, for which he was nominated less than two weeks after taking office.

Chavez, Lula, Obama Make Honduras Unstable: Alexandre Marinis If Honduras descends into civil war, we can thank Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and credit Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva with an assist.

Brazil Sambas Into Olympian Joys, Challenges: Alexandre Marinis It’s time to develop a taste for caipirinhas, Brazil’s national cocktail, and to learn how to samba. Unless you are an Olympic athlete, that’s most of what you need to know to prepare for the 2016 Olympic Games, which on Friday were awarded to Rio de Janeiro.

Presidential Control Freaks Ruin Democracies: Alexandre Marinis Several Latin American leaders have contracted a potent virus called tyrannous flu. The main symptom is a painfully tight grip on the levers of power, and it strikes leftists and right-wingers alike.

Mud Slingers Throw Ethics in Garbage Can: Alexandre Marinis Brazil’s politicians, a rough and tumble group under normal conditions, are wrestling in the mud as they position themselves for next year’s presidential election.

Latin Leaders Cling to Early Hatred of U.S.: Alexandre Marinis The world should look forward to the next generation of Latin American leaders. They will be less hostile toward the West and less likely to destabilize their neighbors.