Latin America In Focus

After a February military operation led to the death of Nemesio Rubén “El Mencho” Oseguera, Mexican authorities searched the cartel leader’s cabin and uncovered logs showing that low-level members of El Mencho’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel earned as little as $140 per week. Many people were surprised by how little the cartel lookouts and hitmen earn, given that their jobs can be, quite literally, deadly. Despite that, the number of people working for these crime groups could fill Estadio Azteca, the stadium where the World Cup kickoff will take place, about two times over. In this week's episode, Complexity Science Hub’s Dr. Rafael Prieto-Curiel covers why stemming cartel recruitment is crucial for curbing violence in Mexico. The mathematician coauthored a groundbreaking study calculating that, with 175,000 members, cartels represent Mexico’s fifth-largest employer. Moreover, he estimates that they count as the country’s top recruiter, given that they have to repeatedly replenish their ranks following arres

When the United States and Argentina signed a bilateral trade deal in February, one part of the agreement turned heads: Washington would be quadrupling the amount of tariff-free beef it would allow to be imported from the South American country. Historically, the United States, like countries across the world, limits the amount of beef it imports to help promote its domestic ranching industry. But now, the United States and Europe are opening their markets, just as China, who became the largest consumer of South American beef in recent years, is imposing quotas on the product for the first time. Argentine trade expert Francisco Resnicoff joins AS/COA Online’s Chase Harrison to talk all things beef. How will new trade pacts and quotas affect the beef market? And what do shifts in the beef industry mean for domestic politics in countries like Argentina? This episode was produced by Luisa Leme and Camilo Salas. Carin Zissis is the host. Share and subscribe at Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your pod

Haiti has been without an elected leader since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, and a spiraling security crisis threatens to derail plans to hold elections this August.   In this episode, Romain Le Cour-Grandmaison, director of the Haiti and Caribbean Observatory at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, covers bumpy governance transitions and “the triangular relationship between the political sector, economic sector, and violent actors” in Haiti, as well as the role U.S. government’s role in addressing the crisis. Bringing on-the-ground observations of Haiti’s turbulent security context, Le Cour traces the complicated—and uncertain—path to the country’s first election in a decade. And as for the long-term future of Haiti’s democracy, he stressed, “We need to address and dismantle the system that makes the gangs attractive to political and economic actors and vice versa. So basically, we need a justice component.” This episode was produced by Khalea Robertson. Carin Zis

Close followers of trade news were waiting for this moment: On February 20, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6–3 against President Donald Trump’s use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, to slap tariffs on trade partners around the world.  Trump first used IEEPA, a measure typically used to apply sanctions, a year ago, when he imposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China with the argument that these three countries hadn’t done enough to stop fentanyl flows into the United States. Then he invoked IEEPA again in April 2025, when he slapped tariffs on countries around the world.  Although SCOTUS' decision reined in Trump's tariffs on one front,he soon enough used another piece of legislation, section 122, to impose new global duties.  “President Trump has a huge trade arsenal at his disposal, and what we're going to be seeing in the next few weeks is the Trump administration using other measures [that are] more procedural but are less legally exposed,” Diego Marroquín Bitar, a fellow w

Across Latin America, the political right has been on the march. From El Salvador to Argentina, we’ve seen the pink tide recede as voters back right-wing leaders who are oftentimes allied with the MAGA movement in the United States.Then there’s Mexico. The largest Spanish-speaking country in the world remains firmly in the hands of Morena, a left-wing party, and its popular president, Claudia Sheinbaum. That doesn’t mean the right-wing leaders haven’t tried to break ground. As we’ll hear, the ultra-Catholic Eduardo Verástegui, who brought CPAC to Mexico, made a failed bid to run as an independent in 2024. And the name of one man has been making the rounds as a potential opposition figure: libertarian business leader and media mogul Ricardo Salinas Pliego.In this episode, we hear from Gema Kloppe-Santamaría, a historian and sociologist at the University College Cork and George Washington University, and Alex González Ormerod, director of the Mexico Political Economist and author of the book La derecha no exist

The Trump’s administration national security strategy was the talk of the foreign policy world late last year, not least of all because it renewed Washington’s focus on the Americas. But a few days later, China released its own policy paper focusing on Latin America and the Caribbean. But then the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro of January 3 upended the hemispheric chessboard.Parsifal D’Sola Alvarado of the Andrés Bello Foundation for China and Latin America Research joined AS/COA Online’s Carin Zissis to talk about why this new era marks an end of what he calls “cheap ambiguity” for hemispheric countries figuring out how to juggle ties with the two great powers. He explains what we can glean from China’s reaction to U.S. moves in Venezuela; how countries such as Colombia, Argentina, and Mexico been adjusting their approach to Beijing; and why Latin America needs to get its own China strategy up and running.Read D'Sola’s analysis on what the post-Maduro era means for Sino–Latin American ties: t.ly/l05Jh  Acces

Organized crime continues to drive murder rates in Latin America and the Caribbean to levels well above global averages. Now in a context in which the United States has shown itself willing to flex its military muscle in the region in its battle against narcoterrorism, Latin American governments are under increasing pressure to appear tough on crime.This episode zooms in on Brazil, from where security policy expert Robert Muggah, co-founder of the Igarapé Institute, speaks with AS/COA Online’s Luisa Leme about how two recent major police operations shed light on the increasing sophistication of criminal actors. Ahead of Brazil’s elections in October, Muggah discusses the growing appeal of hard-line policies across the region while putting forward alternative, evidence-based solutions for sustainable crime and violence prevention.Access other episodes of Latin America in Focus at www.as-coa.org/podcast and send us feedback at latamfocus@as-coa.org. Share and subscribe at Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever yo

From the Donroe Doctrine to tariff turmoil a rightward electoral tilt, 2025 was a year of shifts for Latin America. Now, with Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Haiti, and Peru gearing up for presidential votes in 2026, more change is on the way.To make sense of what's to come, this episode of Latin America in focus brings back four of our prior guests from across the region: Venezuelan journalist and political scientist Tony Frangie Mawad, Mexican international affairs expert Brenda Estefan, Brazilian journalist and political analyst Thomas Traumann, and Latino and hemispheric digital democracy expert Roberta Braga.Then, in conversation with host Carin Zissis, the OAS’ director of electoral monitoring, Gerardo de Icaza, draws on over a decade of experience overseeing missions in 27 countries to explain the evolving challenges on the ground for election observers, from being victims of increasing political polarization to finding practical ways to leverage artificial intelligence for stronger election processes—as

Thirty-five years after the Washington Consensus, a group of the world’s leading economists have assembled a new book formulating an alternative road map for developing economies, The London Consensus: Economic Principles for the 21st Century. One of the books co-editors, prominent Chilean economist Andrés Velasco, recently stopped by the New York headquarters of Americas Society/Council of the Americas to present core principles to guide refreshed and adaptable economic policies in Latin America and beyond.In conversation with AS/COA President and CEO Susan Segal, the former finance minister of Chile and current dean of the School of Public Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science emphasized the need for greater attention to delivering well-being for all and boosting state capacity to complement private-sector efforts. Given the diversity of today’s challenges—from climate change, to AI and the future of work, to trade fragmentation and political polarization—Velasco called for economis

For decades, Bolivia’s abundant reserves of lithium, thought to be the largest in the world, have been touted as the country’s ticket to economic prosperity. But time and again, the sector has run into political hurdles, social resistance, technical issues, and a lack of investment. As newly inaugurated President Rodrigo Paz enters office under a promise of “Capitalism for all,” what will it take to get Bolivia’s lithium sector off—and out from under—the ground?In this episode, political scientist Dr. Diego von Vacano of Texas A&M University, unpacks Bolivia’s decades-long struggle to advance its lithium industry, how it compares with Chile and Argentina—the other two points of the “lithium triangle,”  and prospects for Paz to attract the foreign investment needed to develop critical technological infrastructure while attending to social and environmental concerns.Learn more about Bolivia’s 2025 election https://www.as-coa.org/articles/explainer-bolivias-2025-elections and other votes across Latin America

After two failed constitutional rewrites, Chileans return to the polls to pick their new president. And like those referendums, this year’s vote will be compulsory. In this episode, international lawyer and columnist Paz Zárate covers what the mandatory vote could mean for the outcome of the first-round presidential vote. How are voters who typically don’t cast ballots approaching a contest where four right-wing candidates are polling in the double digits? From political platforms to infighting to foreign policy, Zárate gives a panorama ahead of the November 16 election.This episode was produced by Chase Harrison with Executive Producer Luisa Leme. Access other episodes of Latin America in Focus at www.as-coa.org/podcast and send us feedback at latamfocus@as-coa.org.Share and subscribe at Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.    The music in the podcast is “Sobre tu playa” by Inti-illimani performed for Americas Society: https://tinyurl.com/2p9nk4c8Find out about upcoming concerts at: mu

Colombia has long been considered Washington’s greatest ally in Latin America. But the Trump administration’s decertification of Colombia as a partner in the war on drugs and its revocation of the visa of Colombian President Gustavo Petro have brought tension to the once ironclad relationship. On this episode, Sergio Guzmán, director of Colombia Risk Analysis, talks with host Carin Zissis in a conversation that takes stock of the bilateral relationship as Petro’s term draws to an end. With presidential elections scheduled for May, Guzmán also covers Bogotá’s relations with Beijing, Colombia’s role in regional security matters, and what the future might hold for the country’s politics.This episode was produced by Chase Harrison with Executive Producer Luisa Leme. Additional production support was provided by Rafael de Osma.Access other episodes of Latin America in Focus at www.as-coa.org/podcast and send us feedback at latamfocus@as-coa.org.Share and subscribe at Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get yo

Things are heating up in the southern Caribbean. Recent U.S. military strikes on alleged drug trafficking vessels from Venezuela have compounded escalating tensions between Venezuela and its much smaller neighbor, Guyana, an emerging energy powerhouse, over the oil-rich Essequibo region. In this episode, former U.S. Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch talks with AS/COA’s Carin Zissis about U.S. interest in securing Guyana’s energy future, as well as the Amazonian territory’s rising geopolitical profile.Then, Dr. Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin America Energy program at Rice University’s Baker Institute, contextualizes Guyana’s "unbelievable story” of oil-powered economic transformation. Looking just across Guyana’s borders, he draws lessons from Trinidad and Tobago, a regional LNG pioneer now in decline, and maps out what’s ahead for future oil producer Suriname.Learn more about Guyana’s September 2025 elections: https://ow.ly/IEAc50X4GaU  Listen to a past episode featuring Dr. Monaldi on Venezuela’

On July 9, President Donald Trump threw 200 years of diplomatic relations with Brazil for a loop. Latin America’s largest economy got hit with the highest tariff in the region—a whopping 50 percent. But what truly got President Lula’s administration riled up was the U.S. government’s justification for the additional rate.“Talking with U.S. officials, they insisted that Brazil should give amnesty to the members of the attempted coup of January 8. Nobody told them that even if Congress passes that, it would be unconstitutional,” says Welber Barral, an international trade advisor and former foreign trade secretary.In this episode, the second part of our two-part kickoff of the Latin America in Focus season, Barral discusses the impact of Bolsonaro’s trial on the bilateral relationship, information gaps impeding progress on trade negotiations, possible paths to reconciliation, and steps Brazil’s government has taken to protect its exporters in the meantime.Don't forget to listen to part one. In it, Kenneth Smith

On the one hand, Mexico’s President Sheinbaum has won praise for artfully handling relations with Trump administration, as well as standing out among global leaders for winning a 90-day tariff delay. On the other, more is at stake for Mexico than most countries, given that over 80 percent of its exports are U.S.-bound. And soon it will face a new challenge: a potentially turbulent review process of the trilateral USMCA deal. How will Mexico maneuver the treacherous waters ahead?  We turned to a top expert, Kenneth Smith Ramos, for answers. A partner at Agon and Mexico’s former chief USMCA negotiator, Smith Ramos tells AS/COA’s Carin Zissis, “ In negotiating with the U.S., we're facing a complex three-ring circus where you have, of course, the trade issues, but [also] immigration and fentanyl issues.” As Mexico tries to juggle these demands, he adds, it’s also taking a more protectionist tone with China and other Asian economies.Mexico may be the top trade U.S. partner, but it’s not the only Latin American gia

Mafalda, Quino’s beloved comic strip from Argentina—first published in 1964—has conquered the world, appearing in at least 25 languages. Six decades on, she is finally reaching Anglophone audiences, translated into English for the first time. Award-winning translator Frank Wynne speaks on his experience translating Mafalda into English, noting the challenges of preserving Quino's subtle humor and political commentary across cultures and languages and explaining why the beloved icon remains a perfect companion for today's turbulent times.Read Mafalda: Book 1: https://archipelagobooks.org/book/mafalda-book-one/Read Kamchatka, by Marcelo Figueras: https://groveatlantic.com/book/kamchatka/Read The Mouse and its Child, by Russell Hoban: https://russellhoban.org/1967/01/01/title-the-mouse-and-his-child/The music in this podcast was the classic milonga "El conventillo," performed by the Chúcara Trío. You also listened to Argentine harmonica player Santiago Álvarez. These were performed for the Americas Society “En C

Tucked inside the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill is a proposed tax of 3.5 percent on remittances that could have major consequences for how much money Latin American immigrants can send home to their loved ones—and how they send it. “Immigrants are going to absorb that tax in order to keep sending money to their families [or] they could change the channels they use,” says René Maldonado, coordinator of CEMLA’s remittances program and consultant for the IDB’s migration unit.In this episode, Maldonado talks with AS/COA’s Carin Zissis about shifting remittance trends in the region, how immigrants have adapted to maintain an economic lifeline, and the potential impact of the current political climate on future remittance flows.  For more of our coverage on the impact of Trump’s policies in Latin America, visit as-coa.org/trump to keep up to date with migration, trade, and more.And to learn more about the IDB’s research on remittances, read the 2024 report co-authored by Maldonado and check out thei

“Brazil has historically been a driving force of regional integration,” points out Laura Trajber Waisbich, Deputy Director of Programs at the Igarapé Institute. And under the administrations of President Lula da Silva, the country has leveraged its size and diplomatic credibility to not only assert its own agency on the world stage, but also advocate for the needs of the Global South. The place for that? Multilateral organizations. In a year when Brazil hosts both the BRICS Summit and the COP30, Waisbich explores how Brazil navigates global divides and domestic pressures to spur action on climate and more. The music in this podcast was “Acaçá” composed by the Brazilian giant Dorival Caymmi, and performed by Ternoar group for Americas Society “En Casa” concert series. Find out about upcoming concerts at musicoftheamericas.org.Share your love for Latin America: Join Americas Society. Becoming a member gives you preferential access to music performances, art gallery, book events, our magazine Americas Quarterly,

Competing engagement between Washington and Beijing is nothing new in Latin America, where both countries have sought out economic partnerships. But with a new U.S. administration and shifting macroeconomic conditions in China, has the U.S.-China calculus shifted for governments across the region? Managing Director of the Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins Margaret Myers explains the shifting state of play in the U.S.-China competition, the Trump administration’s approach, and the view from Beijing to understand the changing picture for the region's leaders.Get more insight on Trump and Latin America in our guide: https://www.as-coa.org/content/trump-administration-latin-america The music in this episode is “Mamãe Oxum,” performed by Alexandre and Douglas Lora for Americas Society. Find out about upcoming concerts at: musicoftheamericas.orgAccess other episodes of Latin America in Focus at www.as-coa.org/podcastSend us feedback at: latamfocus@as-coa.orgBecoming a m

Peru has cycled through seven presidents in the last 10 years. Four of them were impeached or resigned before they could be. The country’s current president, Dina Boluarte, even with  a 4 percent approval rating, has been able to finish her term with elections scheduled for April 12, 2026.With one year to deliberate, what will be top of mind for Peru’s jaded electorate?In this episode, electoral analyst Javier Albán breaks down the institutional factors that have contributed to Peru’s political morass and the types of candidates he expects to emerge from the 43 registered political parties. Then, Bloomberg’s Lima Bureau Chief, Marcelo Rochabrún, discusses the dynamics among the executive, legislative, and judicial powers, and the issues that will define the electoral campaign as well as the next presidential term, such as a rise in violence and extortions that have shaken the country.If you want to learn more about Peru’s elections and economy in the year ahead, check our website www.as-coa.org. Council of th