Latin America In Focus

Con las elecciones primarias para el congreso el 13 de agosto, el Gobernador de Córdoba Juan Schiaretti comparte su perspectiva sobre el panorama político y el rol internacional de Argentina. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Para o Procurador Geral da República Rodrigo Janot, as ações da Lava Jato contra a corrupção no Brasil são irreversíveis, mas a resposta para a crise política no país deve vir do Congresso e eleitores durante as eleições de 2018. Em entrevista a Luisa Leme do Conselho das Américas em Nova York, Janot falou sobre o poder das delações premiadas e como o Ministério Público está trabalhando com outros países da América Latina. Read an English translation of this interview: as-coa.org/janot Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

More than 11 percent of Venezuelan children now suffer from moderate to severe malnutrition, which puts the country at crisis levels, says health and nutrition expert Susana Raffalli, who spoke with AS/COA's Guillermo Zubillaga about how the government is squarely responsible for the crisis and could fix it in as little as six weeks—if it wanted to. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement might make Latin American countries more competitive in the global shift towards a clean economy. Brown University's Guy Edwards spoke with AS/COA Online’s Luisa Leme about how the region can attract investments for clean energy and resilient infrastructure while playing a global role in the climate change fight. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Brazil’s political crisis does not mean there aren’t new economic opportunities in the country. Prospectiva Consulting’s Ricardo Sennes spoke with AS/COA Online’s Luisa Leme about how the government is attracting new investments amid corruption scandals and what presidential candidates need to do to be successful in the upcoming elections. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

It’s election season in Chile, marking the start of a long electoral cycle across some 10 Latin American countries voting for president through 2018. Chile’s first-round vote isn’t until November 19, but presidential hopefuls are already prepping ahead of the July 2 primary. Political scientist Patricio Navia spoke to AS/COA Online’s Elizabeth Gonzalez about the top issues and candidates in the race. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Francisco Goldman spent nearly two decades living off and on in Mexico City when he decided to take on a daunting task: learning to drive in the biggest megalopolis in the Americas. In a conversation with poet Mónica de la Torre at the Americas Society, the writer talks about his memoir The Interior Circuit, wending his way through his driving adventure, politics and crime in the capital, and the city’s circus-like energy. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR) has taken on the role of arbiter when it comes to negotiating U.S. agricultural trade to Cuba, sponsoring a bill that allows U.S. firms to let Cuba pay for exports with credit. The legislator has been working with Cuban-American lawmakers to widen the base of support on Capitol Hill and line up with the White House's trade agenda. “This fits very well in the Trump model: bilateral trade deals, and jobs, and America first,” he told AS/COA Online's Elizabeth Gonzalez in this interview. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Brazil’s pension reform delay is an obstacle for the country to regain its investment-grade credit rating, Fitch Rating’s Rafael Guedes told AS/COA Online’s Luisa Leme. The head of the ratings agency in Brazil explains the rocky road for rising investor confidence to translate into sustained economic growth. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

“Signing an accord is really not the key. Implementing the accord is the key,” says Virginia Bouvier, a senior advisor for peace processes at the U.S. Institute of Peace. She tells AS/COA Online’s Holly K. Sonneland which agenda items are still pending, the role of the international community, and how everything from elections to the weather affects Colombia’s landmark deal. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

En Latinoamérica, al menos cuatro países hoy en día han legalizado matrimonios del mismo sexo. Sin embargo a pesar de esto, los avances en los derechos de la comunidad LGBT están rezagados en comparación con la opinión pública en la región. Jaime Parada Hoyl, el primer político abiertamente gay elegido en Chile, conversa con Elizabeth Gonzalez de AS/COA Online sobre los desafíos que enfrenta su país y la región en general. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Tras haber sido una de las regiones del mundo con mayor representación femenina en la política, el hemisferio occidental podría quedarse sin ninguna presidenta o primera ministra en el 2018. Violeta Domínguez del banco de desarrollo CAF habló con Elizabeth Gonzalez de AS/COA Online sobre los avances alcanzados y los obstáculos que impiden cerrar la brecha de género en las Americas. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

What’s the next step for Mexico in its 10-year-old drug war? What would it take to end the country’s corruption epidemic? Who will win the 2018 presidential election? Jorge Castañeda, ex-foreign secretary of Mexico, spoke with AS/COA Online’s Carin Zissis, sharing answers to these questions and how they relate to turbulence in U.S.-Mexican ties under the Trump administration. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

China’s growing middle class is an opportunity for Latin American economies, but the region has to be proactive about it, says Angel Melguizo. The head of the Latin American and Caribbean Unit in the OECD’s Development Center tells AS/COA Online’s Elizabeth Gonzalez about the changing relationship with Beijing, from rising trade with Mexico to Venezuela's loans. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Something surprising happened with the Mexican peso since Donald Trump took office. The currency, which took a beating during the U.S. election, started making gains. So what’s ahead for the Mexican economy? Jorge Suárez-Vélez, a columnist with El Financiero, tells AS/COA Online’s Carin Zissis what’s working for and against Mexico as we begin the Trump era. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Despite uncertainty facing North America over NAFTA, there are positive trends across Latin America, from the biggest to the smallest economies, says Alejandro Werner, the fund's Western Hemisphere director, in this podcast 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. 

After a year of political and economic turbulence in Brazil, Maurício Santoro of the Rio de Janeiro State University spoke with AS/COA Online's Luisa Leme about what the rise of political outsiders and a global protectionist tone mean for the country in 2017 and beyond. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

El general retirado Antonio Rivero es uno de los pocos militares venezolanos que ha salido de los rangos del chavismo. Y ha pagado cara su defección. En este episodio, el general habla con Holly K. Sonneland de AS/COA Online sobre el nivel de descontento entre los cuadros militares en Venezuela, la probabilidad de que haya una salida “de fuerza” a la crisis actual y las diferencias entre el Presidente electo de EE.UU. Donald Trump y el fallecido Presidente de Venezuela Hugo Chávez. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

How will Cuba change after Fidel Castro’s death and with a new U.S. president taking office? Richard Feinberg shared his insights with AS/COA’s Alana Tummino at a launch for his new book Open for Business: Building the New Cuban Economy. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

While pundits piece together what was behind a Trump win in the U.S., Mexicans are looking ahead to their 2018 presidential vote. The results could be just as hard to predict, thanks to shifting political views held by millennials. Nacion321’s Alejandro Moreno and Pancho Parra tell AS/COA Online’s Carin Zissis why Mexico’s next election belongs to that generation. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.