Friend in Need … a Friend Indeed
NEED TO KNOW
Friend in Need … a Friend Indeed
GUATEMALA
Two years ago, a little-known former Guatemalan diplomat in a crowded presidential election race won a shock victory against the establishment candidate, former first lady Sandra Torres.
Afterward, the powerful political, military, criminal, and business groups – including corrupt judges, prosecutors, and the attorney general – that controlled the country did everything they could to keep Bernardo Arévalo of the Movimiento Semilla (Seed Movement) from the presidential office.
With a little help from the US in the form of sanctions and other measures, Arévalo managed to stop the “slow-motion coup” by the country’s elites, locally known as the Pacto de Corruptos (the Corrupt Pact). He took office and allowed Guatemalans to celebrate their “Democratic Spring.”
So it may come as no surprise that when other countries complained about the deportation flights from the US to their countries over the past month, Guatemala, Central America’s largest economy and most populous nation, but also one of the top three sources of illegal migration to the US, welcomed them and other third-party nationals.
“The US also reaped rewards,” wrote Benjamin N. Gedan of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in World Politics Review, referring to US help for Guatemala. “Strong democracies tend to be more reliable partners for Washington and US investors, and less reliable partners for drug kingpins – and that has been the case in Guatemala.”
Gedan noted that the country has been a good partner in other ways, for example, deploying 150 military police officers to Haiti to support a US-funded mission to fight violent gangs there or maintaining Guatemala’s diplomatic relations with Taiwan, one of just 12 countries to do so.
Still, Guatemala also sees the returning nationals as a potential benefit.
“The return of our migrants presents an opportunity not only for the state and the government but to coordinate this as a national effort with the private sector, the tourism sector, infrastructure,” Santiago Palomo, Arévalo’s spokesman, told CNN. “(These) are people that have built capacities, they can speak perhaps two languages and can help Guatemala develop.”
Officials say the government is launching a nationwide plan to welcome the migrants back and reintegrate them into the economy.
On a visit to Guatemala earlier this month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Guatemalan president that he would support developing infrastructure projects and investments in the country. These, he hopes, could help prevent tens of thousands of Guatemalans from desiring to migrate. “We’re not just neighbors; we’re allies, we’re friends,” he said.
Meanwhile, Arévalo is busy trying to reform Guatemala to make it a desirable country to live in and invest in, not leave. Tackling corruption, he has made some progress in attempting to clean up public contracting and advancing meritocracy in government positions. He’s also trying to improve competitiveness by decentralizing the economy to attract foreign investors. Last year, Walmart and other companies announced a multi-year investment plan.
Currently, about 55 percent of Guatemalans live in poverty, according to the World Bank.
The president has been shoring up the border against transnational crime and migration, too. As a result, over 2024 Guatemala seized more than double the amount of drugs compared with 2023.
Still, having just marked his first year in office in January, he’s continuing to battle to stay in power. The country’s attorney general, Consuelo Porras, who has been sanctioned by the US for corruption, continues her “politically motivated prosecutions” against members of the government in an attempt to sideline or oust the president. She has attempted to strip his immunity from prosecution multiple times, wrote Human Rights Watch.
Arévalo has also faced more than a dozen unsuccessful impeachment motions and attempts to revoke his party’s legal status.
The president of the country has no power to hire or fire the attorney general.
Now, say analysts, Arévalo’s backers worry that the US, despite its words, will abandon the country. That would play into Arévalo’s opponents’ hands.
“Bernardo Arévalo overcame tremendous obstacles to become Guatemala’s president, but the old guard that tried to derail his campaign is now retaliating against his government to protect their own corrupt network,” wrote Freedom House. “As Arévalo will likely face further attempts to derail his agenda, the continued assistance of committed allies may prove essential during his second year.”
THE WORLD, BRIEFLY
The Long, Hard Road
GERMANY
Germany’s conservative opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party won Sunday’s federal elections, while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) scored large gains, a result that may make it more difficult for the country to create a coalition government, NBC News reported.
Monday’s results showed that the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), won more than 28 percent of the vote, trouncing the center-left Social Democratic Party of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz: It won around 16.4 percent of the vote – a major drop from the 25.7 percent share it won in the 2021 parliamentary elections.
The election also saw a historic surge for the AfD, which captured 20.8 percent, marking its best-ever results and solidifying its position as the country’s second-largest party.
The outcome in effect ends Scholz’s tenure and puts CDU leader Friedrich Merz in a position to form the next government.
Even so, Germany’s parliamentary system makes it nearly impossible for any party to govern alone.
Merz, who has never held a government post, now faces challenging coalition negotiations.
He has ruled out working with the AfD, citing the country’s long-standing policy of keeping far-right parties out of government. Analysts told CNBC that the most likely coalition partner is the SPD, though the Greens, who won 11.6 percent of the vote, remain an option.
The election outcome underscored deep voter dissatisfaction over economic stagnation, rising immigration, and Germany’s role in global geopolitics.
Observers noted that the AfD’s unprecedented gains have intensified debates over Germany’s political direction.
The party – which is under surveillance by German intelligence for suspected extremist ties – capitalized on voter frustration over immigration and security concerns following a string of high-profile attacks by migrants, wrote CNN.
Support for the AfD from tech billionaire Elon Musk and other members of the Trump administration has drawn anger from mainstream German politicians, all of whom have refused to cooperate with the far-right group.
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel dismissed the political “firewall” against cooperation with her party as “undemocratic.”
Merz has also called for stronger European unity and for reducing Germany’s dependence on the United States. He criticized what he called Washington’s alleged “interventions” in the election campaign, drawing parallels between US influence and Russian interference.
His remarks reflected growing tensions between Germany and the Trump administration, which has demanded increased European defense spending while threatening tariffs on German exports.
A New Storm
ISRAEL/ WEST BANK
Israeli tanks entered the occupied West Bank this week for the first time in more than two decades as part of an expanded military operation targeting Palestinian militant groups, a move that comes amid a fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and growing pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from far-right coalition partners to escalate operations in the West Bank, the Associated Press reported.
On Sunday, Israeli tanks reportedly moved into Jenin – a city long associated with armed resistance – as Israeli forces continued their crackdown on militants following an offensive that began on Jan. 21.
The last time Israeli tanks were used in the West Bank was during the Palestinian uprising – or Intifada – in 2002, Reuters added.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military operations would focus on Palestinian refugee camps in areas, including Jenin and Tulkarm, which he described as strongholds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
He said around 40,000 Palestinians have fled the camps since the beginning of the offensive, adding that troops would remain in the territory for at least a year and that tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians would not be allowed to return.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu said the military presence would last “as long as needed.”
The Palestinian Authority condemned the tank deployment as a “dangerous escalation,” urging international intervention. Palestinian officials warned the move would “not lead to stability or calm” in the region.
Violence in the West Bank has surged since the start of the Gaza war on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas and its allies launched an attack from southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages.
More than 800 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 2023, according to Palestinian health officials. While Israel claims that its crackdown on the territory is meant to stamp out militancy, many Palestinians view the raids as part of an Israeli effort to maintain control over the region where around three million Palestinians live.
The recent raids also come as Netanyahu is facing domestic pressure from his far-right government allies to crack down on militants in the West Bank.
Tensions have risen further as Jewish settlers have carried out violent rampages in Palestinian villages. Meanwhile, Palestinian attacks against Israelis have increased, with three empty buses being bombed in what Israeli police suspect was a militant operation last Thursday.
Observers said the West Bank operation also coincided with renewed tensions over the ceasefire in Gaza, according to France 24.
Over the weekend, Israel suspended the release of 620 Palestinian prisoners, citing concerns over Hamas’ “humiliating” treatment of Israeli hostages during public handovers in Gaza.
As the ceasefire’s first phase nears its end, negotiations over a second phase have yet to begin. US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff announced plans to visit key regional players, including Qatar, Egypt, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, in an effort to secure an extension of the truce.
However, Hamas has refused to engage in further negotiations until Israel fulfills its obligations under the current agreement.
Hidden in Plain Sight
FRANCE
The largest child abuse trial in French history began on Monday, featuring a surgeon accused of sexually abusing hundreds of minors over decades in a case that horrified the country and sparked concerns over how such crimes could go on unnoticed for so long, the Washington Post reported.
The trial of retired gastrointestinal surgeon Joël Le Scouarnec is taking place in the northwestern region of Brittany, just weeks after the country was shaken by a months-long trial covering the mass rape of Gisèle Pelicot by her husband and dozens of other men he solicited.
Le Scouarnec, 74, is accused of sexually abusing 299 patients, ranging from as young as two years old to early adulthood, across 10 private and public hospitals over a span of more than two decades, CNN reported.
Police investigations identified the victims thanks to Le Scouarnec’s notes in his journals and on his computer, where he recounted how he abused his patients, who were often under anesthesia.
More than a dozen of the doctor’s former patients wanted to testify but were prevented from doing so because their cases exceeded the 30-year statute of limitations.
Many in France have accused law enforcement and medical authorities of failing to stop Le Scouarnec earlier. The surgeon had been caught with child pornography in 2004 by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation who then informed the French authorities.
At the time, police couldn’t find enough concrete evidence and he received a suspended sentence for possession of child pornography in 2005. As a result, Le Scouarnec was allowed to keep working, including with children.
Meanwhile, the former surgeon was convicted in 2020 and sentenced to 15 years in prison for abusing his nieces and a neighbor. He is currently serving that sentence.
DISCOVERIES
A Scent for the Ages
The idea of sniffing a 5,000-year-old corpse may be off-putting, but a new study has found that ancient Egyptian mummies don’t smell nearly as bad as one might expect.
Instead of the stench of decay, researchers analyzing the aromas of nine mummies detected scents described as “woody,” “spicy,” and even “sweet.”
“In films and books, terrible things happen to those who smell mummified bodies,” co-author Cecilia Bembibre told the Associated Press. “We were surprised at the pleasantness of them.”
For their research, Bembibre and her team combined chemical analysis with trained human sniffers to evaluate the odors of mummies stored or displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt. The goal was to better understand the materials used in mummification and how the process evolved over time.
“To the ancient Egyptians, mummification was an important mortuary practice aimed at preserving the body and soul for the afterlife,” Ali Abdelhalim, director of the Egyptian Museum and a co-author in the study, explained in a statement. “Identifying different techniques and materials used offers insights into the era, location, and socioeconomic status of the individual being mummified.”
Ancient embalmers used a mix of oils, waxes, and resins, many of which had strong scents associated with purity and divinity. The combination of pine, cedar, juniper, myrrh, frankincense, and other aromatic substances likely explains why the mummies still carry a pleasant fragrance today.
Of course, the scent profile has likely changed over millennia.
“Over thousands of years, evaporation, oxidation, and even storage conditions have significantly altered the original scent,” Barbara Huber, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, who was not involved in the study, told AP.
Researchers also found that modern conservation efforts had not introduced any significant deterioration-related odors, a promising sign for long-term preservation.
But beyond conservation, the findings open up new possibilities for museums and how they can become more engaging for visitors. Bembibre and her team hope to recreate the scent of ancient embalming as a “smellscape” to give museum visitors a more immersive experience.
“Museums have been called white cubes, where you are prompted to read, to see, to approach everything from a distance with your eyes,” she told AP. “Observing the mummified bodies through a glass case reduces the experience because we don’t get to smell them.”