This week, I am returning to Peru, more specifically on a retired politician who is wielding remarkable influence over that country’s presidential elections.

If Colombia doesn't prioritize improving living conditions for the poor, the country may follow its Andean neighbor Peru and end up with populist politicians whose popularity is fed by a marginalized lower class.

On March 16, Standard and Poor’s raised Colombia’s credit rating to investment grade. Other leading rating agencies are expected to follow suit, and President Juan Manuel Santos has said he foresees credit upgrades from both Fitch and Moody’s within a few months.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos will visit Brown University, where I attend college, Tuesday to give a lecture entitled “Why People Should Give More than a Damn About Latin America”.

Colombia’s decaying and inadequate transport infrastructure is clearly among the country's top challenges. Poor roads and railways are one reason why the country fell in global rankings of competitiveness in tourism. Standard & Poor’s, a credit rating agency, recently cited infrastructure as one of three key factors keeping Colombia from attaining an investment grade rating, long coveted by the country’s economic policymakers.

Colombia ranks remarkably high on a newly-release global political risk index. This is because Colombia still has quite some challenges ahead to improve its socio-economic situation before becoming a true investors' paradise.