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Guatemala has implemented a new arms and ammunition law. The law makes it much harder for citizens to own a gun. There is even a training test that the user must compete before they are able to purchase the gun. The law aims to make it harder for criminals to obtain weapons and give classification of who owns guns in Guatemala. The law also puts a cap on the amount of ammunition one is allowed to buy for their firearm. This law will hopefully lower the number of guns on the street and lower crime in Guatemala.

According to this article, on August 27, 2009, lawmakers in Uruguay voted to legalize to allow homosexual couples to adopt. This makes Uruguay the first Latin American country to do so. The Roman Catholic Church in Uruguay opposed the bill, but it was passed 40-13 in favor. Uruguay has also legalized homosexual civil unions and has ended a ban on homosexuals in the armed forces.

This site addresses how drug and alcohol abuse in Latin America is widespread among the urban poor, and how the two contribute to daily violence. In poor neighborhoods in the Colombian cities of Medellín and Bogotá, approximately half of the population uses drugs--mainly marijuana, followed by cocaine and amphetamines. It is believed that heavy drinking in Guatemala is associated with Mayans, indigenous people trapped in poverty by discrimination and armed conflict.

This report, from Guatemala's Historical Clarification Commission, completed 25 Februrary 1999, discusses the human rights violations of the internal armed conflict. However, as of 7 August 2009, Amnesty International reported that many of the recommendations of this document have not been heeded, and the marginalization of indigenous peoples has not been rectified.

The United Nations commission issued a summary in 1999 summarizing the claim made by the Guatemalan government that the atrocities committed during the Guatemalan civil wars were carried out by subordinate soldiers; this claim was without foundation. The statements made in the commission's conclusion advocates for a restructuring of the Guatemalan military system as well as the establishment of a commission that is under the president's authority for the purpose of maintaining a just military and observational component that monitors military officials conduct during periods of armed conflict. According to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan the restructuring of the Guatemalan government and military systems is a milestone for Guatemala. Annan further emphasizes the usage of Guatemala as an example for the world as it highlights the importance of nations and governments to recognize history plagued with violence and flagrant violations of human rights because in doing so it will guarantees a smoother path towards peace and stability.

After a weapons-buying splurge, is South America gearing up for conflict? Robert Munks, Americas analyst for IHS Jane's, investigates.

Mexico has appointed a new attorney general, Felipe Calderon, with hope to protect the drug cartels. Unfortunately, Calderon's war on cartels has caused the death toll to reach 13,500. The population is very unhappy with the armed forces, who want more action against those who protect that cartels.

Mexico city is trying to toughen the drug business by making more arrest. The drug business has brought more problems to Mexico city itself and the surrounding areas where by innocent victims were killed. This is a bad picture of Mexico on the global map.

Throughout the developing world, the post-Cold War era has seen the emergence of increasingly powerful and violent criminal organizations, often referred to as "third-generation gangs." These groups have exploited the major international trends of the past 20 years -- including economic and financial integration, innovations in communication technology, the prevalence of weak and failed states, and a thriving global arms trade -- to seize control over a myriad of illicit commercial networks. They now use violence and corruption to undermine the governments that oppose them.

In 2003 when Goldman Sachs economists linked Brazil with Russia, India and China as the economies that would come to dominate the world, much contest aroused over the inclusion of Brazil. Many economists questioned how Brazil could participate amongst the ensemble since the country features a declining growth rate, victim to any outside financial crisis, and constant political instability does not make Brazil an appealing candidate as an arising force. China leads the world economy out of recession while Brazil was not far from behind. Brazil was unable to avoid the downturn, but was among the last to fall and among the first to recover with a growing economy again at an annual rate of 5%. With the development of new deep-sea oilfields over the next few years, Brazil's growth will rapidly escalate also a result of Asian countries heightened appetite for food and minerals from Brazil's ample land. Forecasts alternate but in the decades proceeding 2014 Brazil will emerge as the world's fifth largest-economy, excelling Britain and France, and in 2025 it is also speculated that Sao Paulo will be the fifth-wealthiest city. Brazil perhaps surpasses its competing members because unlike China, it is a democracy, unlike India; the country is not plagued with insurgents, or ethnic and religious conflicts, or hostile relationships with its neighbors like India has with Pakistan and Kashmir. In contrast to Russia, Brazil exports more than oil and arms, and has established more cordial relationships with foreign investors. Brazil's emergence has not been hasty but instead steady. Initiatives began in the 1990s when they established a coherent set of economic policies, and the Central Bank was granted autonomy, which stimulated development of new multinationals that may have previously been state-owned companies that are now prospering as a result of operating from a distance from the government. Weaknesses, however, still permeate throughout Brazil, so it is necessary to

This article discusses the civil unrest in the country of Venezuela between Governor César Pérez and President Chávez. The governor claims that the government is not doing anything to prevent the rebels from Colombia from crossing the border and only wished to keep out those supporting right-wing agendas. Not only has the President allowed leftist groups to cross the border unchecked but he has limited the access to weapons of local police to keep them from taking action against the guerillas. The constant dispute between the government, local government, and the leftist Colombian rebels has caused violence in the region along the border including deaths.