Latin America In Focus

The worst thing about Venezuela's crisis? It's that there's nothing left from the trillions of dollars reaped during the oil boom, says Caracas Capital's Russ Dallen. In this podcast, Dallen, also a lawyer and journalist, analyzes the country's latest swap deal, production figures, and more with AS/COA Online's Holly K. Sonneland. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Cristina López was 29 when she and a group of women colleagues defied a gender norm and started a law firm. Nine years later, it’s become one of Panama’s leading legal firms and continues to be run by women. López spoke with AS/COA Online’s Carin Zissis about what sets apart an all-female firm. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

What makes Medellín the Silicon Valley of Latin America? For tech entrepreneur Nelson Almanzar, it’s the talent, technology, and business resources. In an interview with AS/COA Online’s Elizabeth Gonzalez, Almanzar talks about opening up shop for Talos Digital in Colombia’s second-largest city. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Earthquakes. Floods. Traffic. Pollution. Mexico City is prone to its fair share of hazards. But how does a metropolitan area that's home to 20 million people not only respond to them but also prepare to mitigate the risks? With a resilience strategy. AS/COA Online's Carin Zissis spoke with Mexico City's Chief Resilience Officer Arnoldo Matus Kramer about the capital's new resilience plan, starting with how to explain the concept in the first place. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Florida's changing Latino demographics are turning the swing state blue. The Miami polling firm’s Anthony Williams talked with AS/COA Online's Holly K. Sonneland about Donald Trump's "astronomically" low approval rating among Hispanic voters and how Hillary Clinton should focus on making sure people actually get out of bed and vote for her on Election Day. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

In Venezuela, since the government no longer follows the Constitution, calls to practice civil disobedience in fact seek a return to order, says congressional opposition leader Julio Borges. The Justice First party leader talks with AS/COA Online's Holly K. Sonneland about the recall referendum against President Nicolás Maduro, the September 1 march on Caracas, and telling his young quadruplets why government supporters beat him. More: http://www.as-coa.org/articles/latam-focus-julio-borges-civil-disobedience-venezuela Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Venezuelan oil production is at its lowest point in 13 years, and that means Cuba risks taking on a $1.3-billion deficit if oil shipments from Caracas were to stop. University of Texas at Austin's Jorge R. Piñon talks with AS/COA Online's Elizabeth Gonzalez about whether the island's economy can handle the shock. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

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.