Latin America In Focus

Was Brazil’s presidential election the epicenter of fake news crisis? Aos Fatos’ Tai Nalon spoke with AS/COA Online’s Luisa Leme about how misinformation on social media and closed messaging applications such as WhatsApp can interfere with democracy, and what that means on a global scale. Learn more: www.as-coa.org/brazil2018 Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Brazil elected far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro as president and the markets are rallying. “It is a change in route in the Brazilian economy that is much appreciated, considering that we have been in a recession for a very long time,” says J.P. Morgan’s Emy Shayo of the economic platform proposed by Bolsonaro’s pick for economic minister, Paulo Guedes. Learn about the country’s economic prospects under Brazil’s next administration. Get more information about Brazil’s election at: www.as-coa.org/brazil2018 Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Thousands in a migrant caravan are making their way on foot, through tear gas, and over rivers to get from Central America to the United States. "They know what they're facing when they hit Mexico, they know what they're facing with the Trump administration…and they keep moving forward," Stephanie Leutert, Mexico Security Initiative director at UT Austin’s Strauss Center, tells AS/COA Online’s Carin Zissis in an episode that takes stock of Mexico’s migration policy as it prepares for a new president. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

What worries Peru’s leaders? They don’t want to go to jail, says past and future presidential candidate Julio Guzmán of the Purple Party in this interview with AS/COA Online’s Holly K. Sonneland. Guzmán also talks about the opportunity he finds in everything from the Pacific Alliance, to Peru’s youth, to the reversal of Alberto Fujimori’s pardon. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

The Trump administration disputed the Hurricane Maria death toll. We went to the source. AS/COA Online’s Brian Harper interviewed epidemiologist Dr. Ann Goldman, part of the team on the George Washington University report on excess mortality in Puerto Rico after the storm. “Using excess mortality as an indicator in a disaster situation is a good, fast way to start to get a handle on it,” said Dr. Goldman, who herself is from the island. Access the GW report: https://bit.ly/2wwqEqF Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

“This is a country that has been through massive traumas over the last couple of years. And you might say ‘okay, so they’re going to bottom out, things couldn’t get worse.’ Things could get worse.” In this podcast episode, AS/COA Online interviews two in-house Brazilian experts, Americas Quarterly Editor-in-Chief and AS/COA Vice President Brian Winter and new AS/COA Senior Director of Policy Roberto Simon, on what’s at stake ahead of the October 7 first-round vote, candidates’ advantages and disadvantages, and the overlooked congressional elections. Learn more about the Brazilian elections at as-coa.org/brazil2018 Get the poll numbers at as-coa.org/brazilpolls Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

For decades, Venezuela welcomed immigrants. Now, it’s Latin America’s time to welcome the 2.3 million migrants who’ve fled the country in the last five years, says Human Rights Watch Senior Researcher Tamara Taraciuk Broner, lead author of the report, The Venezuelan Exodus. She tells AS/COA Online’s Holly K. Sonneland about the report's findings and regional recommendations. Access the HRW report: https://bit.ly/2x17ZnV Learn more about AS/COA’s Venezuela Working Group at: as-coa.org/vwg Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

On September 1, Mexico witnessed the historic opening session of a new federal Congress. Why historic? Because it represented an upending of the prior party system. With sweeping wins in the July elections, MORENA, the party of incoming President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, holds a solid majority in both houses. Odracir Barquera, who served as a chief of staff in the last Senate, talks with AS/COA’s Carin Zissis about changes in the legislature, who can be a counterweight, and gender parity in Congress. For more on Mexico’s elections, visit: www.as-coa.org/mxelex Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Cuba’s private sector has made a significant leap since its opening, counting nearly 600,000 micro-businesses owners, or cuentapropistas, today. Among its best-known entrepreneurs are the founders of Clandestina, Cuba’s first independent fashion label. AS/COA Online’s Elizabeth Gonzalez spoke to Idania del Rio and Leire Fernandez about their experience launching their business, the implications of the latest private-sector reforms, and the future of same-sex marriage on the island. This conversation took place at an AS/COA Young Professionals of the Americas event. Find out more at: www.as-coa.org/ypa Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Since protests broke out in April, the number of Nicaraguans killed in clashes between the government and protesters—now over 300—is greater than the number of protestors killed in Venezuela in all of 2017. How did this small Central American country, lauded for having the second-fastest growing economy in the hemisphere, get to this point? Political analyst Javier Arguello tells AS/COA Online’s Elizabeth Gonzalez how President Daniel Ortega systematically consolidated power over the last 40 years and how Washington might in fact be Managua’s best hope these days. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Net undocumented migration from Mexico to the United States ended a decade ago, says Princeton sociologist Douglas Massey in this interview with AS/COA Online’s Holly K. Sonneland. And even though Central American migration of families is expected to continue, there’s just not the demographic potential for it to become what Mexican migration was, due to smaller populations and lower birth rates. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

At 64, Mexico’s presidential frontrunner Andrés Manuel López Obrador is the oldest candidate, but that’s not stopping 51 percent of millennials from backing him. Their support matters: They have the potential to account for nearly half of the electorate, explains Nación321’s Pancho Parra. From the Wikipolítica movement to how viral humor has defined the race, we cover how the country’s youth are looking at politics and their futures. For more on the Mexican election go to: www.as-coa.org/mxelex Check out Nación321’s 2018 millennial poll: https://bit.ly/2KdlgT6 Listen to our first podcast with Pancho Parra on millennials and the future of Mexican elections: https://bit.ly/2N2MucI Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

The closer we get to Mexico's July 1 vote, the more Andrés Manuel López Obrador's poll lead grows, and some 3,400 seats are up for grabs-about 60 percent more than in the 2012 vote-which helps MORENA, AMLO's political party. "MORENA will have a lot of jobs to offer," pollster Jorge Buendía told AS/COA's Carin Zissis in Mexico City. "And the question here is, then what are going to be the checks and balances on López Obrador?" Check out Oraculus' "poll of polls." https://oraculus.mx/ Access our Mexico Election Guide. http://www.as-coa.org/mxelex Check the poll tracker. https://bit.ly/2s1fvMl Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Separating fact from fiction is a growing challenge in an era of fake news and "infoxification," given that we consume four times the amount of information that we did in 1986. Moreover, citizens are increasingly turning to peers over leaders, explained Partner and COO of Latin America for Llorente & Cuenca Luisa García. Listen to her conversation with AS/COA's Alana Tummino at a June 2018 Young Professionals of the Americas event in New York. Learn more: https://bit.ly/2sOYsgU Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

In this special episode of Latin America in Focus, we travel to Cuba to meet with cuentapropistas, Cuban entrepreneurs faced with the challenges of evolving policies in both Washington and Havana. This episode is in Spanish. 

El anuncio de Donald Trump el junio pasado, la suspensión de las licencias para negocios privados en Cuba, el huracán Irma, la reducción del personal en ambas embajadas, son todos parte de la serie de eventos de la segunda mitad del 2017 que culminó con una caída turística devastadora para los cuentapropistas en Cuba. Leani Garcia y Elizabeth Gonzalez de AS/COA entrevistaron a emprendedores durante una visita a la isla. Aprenda sobre el Grupo de Trabajo de Cuba de AS/COA: www.as-coa.org/cuba Suscríbase a nuestra serie de podcast: www.as-coa.org/podcast Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Some 80% of Latin Americans live in cities—more than twice 1950’s rate. How did these urban areas become the metropolises we know today? In this two-segment episode, we look at the history and future of Latin American cities. First, 100 Resilient Cities’ Eugene Zapata-Garesché explains how cities are leading public policy today. Then the Getty Research Institute’s Maristella Casciato and Idurre Alonso walk us through The Metropolis in Latin America, 1830–1930, an exhibition running through June 30, 2018, at the Americas Society gallery. Listen to an AS/COA Online podcast with Zapata-Garesché about Mexico’s September 2017 earthquake. https://bit.ly/2DL2TNe Learn more about The Metropolis in Latin America exhibition at http://www.as-coa.org/metropolis and if you can’t make it to the show in New York, check out a video here: https://youtu.be/PAy_1U-2CR8 Opinions expressed in this podcast do

With the May 20 presidential vote unlikely to bring regime change, the international private sector might be more effective than sanctions at putting pressure on Nicolás Maduro, Northwestern University’s Daniel Lansberg-Rodríguez tells AS/COA Online’s Holly K. Sonneland. If and when Venezuela’s recovery comes, he says, it’ll be quicker and more robust than many expect, due in no small part to a highly educated, entrepreneurial diaspora. Learn about our venezuela working group at www.as-coa.org/venezuela and see the latest AQ issue on "Rebuilding Venezuela" at https://bit.ly/2wMskQh. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

In 1994, the first Summit of the Americas took place just after the Cold War amid growing faith in democracy. But, over time, the Summit became increasingly marked by divisions. As the VIII Summit takes place in Lima, AS/COA’s Eric Farnsworth offers this quick take on the issues on the table and ways the event can become more effective. We hope you enjoy this podcast. If so, write us a review and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Soundcloud, or Stitcher. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

It’s election time in Mexico, and that means mudslinging and memes. It also means an unhappy electorate. A study found that Mexicans are more distrustful of their government than people in any of the other 27 countries surveyed, Edelman México’s Mariana Sanz tells AS/COA Online’s Carin Zissis. But certain sectors shine in Mexicans’ view and one is civil society. Gabriela Hernández Cardoso of Méxicos Posibles explains a new citizens’ initiative and its hope to tackle the country’s problems of illegality, insecurity, and inequality. Access Edelman’s 2018 Trust Barometer: https://bit.ly/2GdgNwS Find out about Méxicos Posibles: https://bit.ly/2GhG74O Write us a review and subscribe to our podcast series: http://www.as-coa.org/podcast Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Iván Duque and Gustavo Petro are leading the presidential race, but both will have their work cut out for them to expand their bases ahead of the May 27 first vote and June 17 runoff, says legal analyst Alvaro Forero Tascón. The country is both fragmented and divided, AS/COA’s Adriana La Rotta tells colleague Holly K. Sonneland—but that’s actually a sign of just how healthy Colombia’s democracy is in 2018. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.