News of the world.

When your name sits at the top of a publication's masthead, you get a lot of questions. One of the most common in recent months has been: "So, what's going to happen next." Honestly, I have no idea. At least no better an idea than the next observer of the region.

But some things are clears. Latin America has replaced (or reelected) 11 presidents in the past year, not counting the couple run out of office just before the big leadership swap of '06, nor the Cuban shell game going on now. Years ago, changing a president in Latin America was serious political trauma. No more. Even the absurd "parallel government" in Mexico is widely seen in Mexico itself as sour grapes, not a reaction to fraud.

The difference is information. Not too long ago, foreign investors relied on specialized brokers who charged hundreds of dollars for rewarmed, weeks-late "news" from foreign countries, printed on photocopiers and faxed to New York or London.

Now, nearly anyone with a few pesos and some free time can log on at a cyber cafe and read dozens of foreign and domestic news sources for free. Voters know the developed world is watching, what they are saying, and what goes on all around them. The developed world is watching too, thanks to independent monetary policy and more transparent (and easily downloaded) government accounts.

If anything gets murky or goes unexplained, it's obvious to every link in the chain, and lightning fast. Imagine the pressure of leading a corrupt government on those terms, with every odd transaction, every shaky minister under permanent scrutiny from a constant barrage of freelance opinion-leaders on the Web.

What's going to happen next? Doesn't matter. As soon as it happens, you'll know it. And that's a good thing.

--Greg Brown

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