Latin America In Focus

Getting ready for the Olympics brought big changes to Rio, but the city was already going through a transformation. Rio-based Julia Michaels, author of RioReal blog, talks with AS/COA Online’s Luisa Leme about what cariocas have gained from mega-event preparations, even as Brazil tackles corruption scandals and economic woes. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Diego Gómez Pickering spoke with AS/COA Online’s Carin Zissis about the message that Mexico is working to get out about close ties with the United States. “Nowadays we cannot talk of the Mexican economy and the American economy separately,” he says. “If jobs are lost here, jobs are lost in Mexico. If we create jobs in Mexico, jobs are created here in the United States.” Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Days after British voters backed Brexit, the heads of state of Canada, Mexico, and the United States meet for the North American Leaders' Summit. Integration's benefits count as one issue on their full agenda, explains Council of the Americas' Eric Farnsworth to AS/COA Online's Carin Zissis. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

What do you do when a U.S. presidential candidate makes bashing your country a campaign centerpiece? Try to set the record straight. Agustín Barrios Gómez, Mexico Image Foundation president and former Mexican congressman, talks with AS/COA Online’s Carin Zissis about the risks involved with damaging the U.S.-Mexican relationship. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Foreign direct investment in Colombia stands to triple in a post-conflict era. Simón Gaviria speaks with AS/COA Online’s Holly Sonneland about how Colombia's government is financing peace in the anticipation of an agreement with the FARC. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

As Cuba continues to expand its private sector, AS/COA Online talks with Josefina Vidal, Cuba’s director of foreign affairs with the United States, on the country’s economic reforms. Vidal offers a Cuban perspective on the U.S. presidential elections and bilateral policy priorities, and challenges Cuban-Americans' interpretation of changes on the island. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Argentina’s economy will expand 3.5 percent in 2017, but that’s after a few bumps and a recession in 2016. AS/COA Online's Elizabeth Gonzalez spoke to economist Fernando Navajas of the Buenos Aires-based think tank Fundación de Investigaciones Económicas Latinoamericanas about the government's economic agenda ahead of the 2017 midterm elections. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Frank Pearl, a negotiator in peace talks between the Colombian government and the FARC and ELN, talks with AS/COA's Adriana La Rotta about what comes next once the peace deal is signed. He addressed how Colombians perceive the peace process and the potential success to reintegrate millions of people affected by the conflict. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

The IMF's executive director outlines where economic policy went wrong and draws lessons from Brazil's worst crisis in decades, saying the process could lead to a new relationship between the private and public sectors. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Luz Mely Reyes, cofundadora del medio noticioso comunitario y colaborativo Efecto Cocuyo, habla con Guillermo Zubillaga sobre su carrera, el rol de las redes sociales en la democracia venezolana y por qué su página lleva el nombre de un insecto fosforescente. Para más del grupo de trabajo sobre Venezuela de AS/COA, diríjase a: www.as-coa.org/venezuela Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Alejandro Hope, El Daily Post’s security editor, speaks with Carin Zissis about how national-level changes in drug policy in the Americas have an impact on global policy. He predicts a large portion of the legislation that underpins marijuana prohibition in Mexico today will eventually be declared unconstitutional. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Harvard's Steven Levitsky talks with Holly K. Sonneland about Peru's 2016 presidential election, the candidates, and the ups and downs of the race. For more content from AS/COA, go to www.as-coa.org. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Trade is good business for both the U.S. and Cuban economies, says Arkansas Republican Rick Crawford, who talks with Elizabeth Gonzalez about a bill he introduced that would ease trade restrictions between Washington and Havana. Get more content on Cuba from AS/COA's Cuba Working Group: www.as-coa.org/cuba Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Ricardo Gandour, director of Grupo Estado, speaks with Luisa Leme about the “perfect storm” of events putting Brazil in crisis mode. His proposed solution? A new constitution. Hear what the head of one of Brazil’s largest media companies has to say. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Moody's Jaime Reusche talks with Holly K. Sonneland about Venezuela's upcoming bond payments, its complicated relationship with China, and what oil price will keep the budget in the black. Get more content on Venezuela from AS/COA here: www.as-coa.org/venezuela Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.