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.

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 Ramos, a partner at Agon and Mexico’s former chief USMCA negotiator, analyzes the delicate balancing act that Mexico has to maintain in tariff talks with its most important trading partner as the USMCA review process unfolds. 

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 giant navigating Washington’s new trade paradigm. Don’t miss the second part of this kickoff to the Latin America in Focus season that looks at the politically charged maelstrom facing Brazil. Listen to international trade advisor Welber Barral unpack the diplomatic hurdles upending U.S.-Brazil trade relations.

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.

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.

“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.

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.

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 scheduled elections for April 12 2026. With one year to deliberate, what will be top of mind for Peru’s jaded electorate?

On April 14, Latin American letters lost a giant. Mario Vargas Llosa, the prolific Peruvian writer, passed away in Lima at the age of 89. Vargas Llosa was a frequent visitor to Americas Society over the years and even served on Americas Society’s Literature Advisory Board. This bonus episode brings you an English-language conversation between Vargas Llosa and legendary translator Edith Grossman, recorded at Americas Society in 2012. Learn about the author’s reading habits, Faulkner’s influence on his writing, and more.

In 2024, more than $800 billion dollars worth of goods were traded between Mexico and the United States, making the two countries each other’s largest trade partners. But beyond the goods moving across the border, there’s also investment running in both directions. In this episode, top Mexican CEOs detail the scale and scope of Mexican investment in the United States, which has been north of $5 billion per year for the last four years. What does this financing look like on the ground?

April 2 is a date that looms large for Latin America. It’s the day that the Trump administration will initiate reciprocal tariffs globally and tariffs on automobiles. This is after the application of 25% tariffs on many goods coming from Mexico and Canada in March. What will this changing trade landscape mean for Latin America? Kellie Meiman Hock, a senior counselor at McLarty Associates, explains the main drivers behind this shift in U.S. trade policy and what Trump’s new tariffs mean for the countries across the region.

The Trump administration recently named six of Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, or FTOs. The new designation widens who can be charged for supporting these groups. What effect might this have? Pablo Zárate of FTI Consulting looks at how business operating in Mexico will have to revamp compliance with increased risk. And Cecilia Farfán-Méndez of ITAM explains the complexity of the drug trade and spotlights how this action may impact the bilateral relationship.

Migration management has surged to the top of the policy agenda in the region due to unprecedented numbers of Latin Americans on the move in recent years. With the new administration in the United States—the Western Hemisphere’s leading destination for migrants—increasing restrictions on immigration, how have other host countries in the Americas been coping with hundreds of thousands of new arrivals from places like Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, and Ecuador? AS/COA Online speaks with Diego Chaves-González, senior manager of the Latin America and Caribbean Initiative at the Migration Policy Institute, and Professor João Jarochinski Silva of the Federal University of Roraima to get the rundown of Latin America’s efforts to receive the region’s migrants. We zoom in on a special program in Brazil, Operation Welcome, as an example, however imperfect, of how to regularize and integrate people who have left their home countries.

Ecuador, once among the safest countries in Latin America, now faces an insecurity crisis with the incursion of international criminal groups. President Daniel Noboa, now facing a reelection fight, is attempting to convince voters his hardline mano dura approach is one of the reasons to stay the course. Vanda Felbab-Brown, a security expert at Brookings Institution, explains what caused a perfect storm of insecurity in the country, what Noboa’s approach has been so far, and why the success of Nayib Bukele of El Salvador may be tough to replicate in Ecuador.

President Donald Trump broke tradition at his second inauguration, inviting world leaders, including from Latin America, to attend. But his day-one executive orders initiated a bumpy ride for the region in 2025. What can Latin American countries expect of "America First?" On this episode, three AS/COA experts—Carin Zissis, Brian Winter, and Juan Cruz Díaz—discussed Trump's initial moves on the border and migration, possible Mexico tariffs, the Panama Canal, and his Latin American allies. Listen to the editor-in-chiefs of AS/COA Online and Americas Quarterly, as well as the managing director of Cefeidas Group, on how Trump's second presidency will shape U.S. relations with Latin America.

For many Latin America enthusiasts, music serves as a gateway for understanding the cultural contours of the region. Sebastián Zubieta, Music Director at Americas Society, understands this profoundly. In conversation with Luisa Leme, Zubieta outlines his approach to striking an emotional chord with audiences while showcasing a mix of music and musicians that define and defy the musical traditions of the Hemisphere. Plus, ahead of the 60th anniversary of Americas Society in 2025, Zubieta provides a sneak peek of what’s to come with Music of the Americas in 2025. And the AS/COA Online staff gives a Latin America in Focus holiday list of recommendations.

It’s been a stuffed season of summits. October and November saw BRICS in Russia, APEC in Peru, and the G20 in Brazil. But with Trump’s reelection, leaders are adjusting their strategies and outlooks for the future of global forums. What does this mean for Latin America? We’ve convened a G3 of speakers from the region’s three G20 members. On this episode of Latin America in Focus, Francisco Resnicoff of Argentina, Cecilia Tornaghi of Brazil, and Brenda Estefan of Mexico speak about how each administration is approaching its international relations, what Trump’s return means for summitry, and what they foresee for the future of U.S.-China competition in the region.

Latin America is known worldwide for its entrepreneurship. With unicorns, new ecosystems, and investments back to pre-pandemic levels, what's the region's secret sauce? Three of the Latin America's most successful business visionaries—Francisco Alvarez-Demalde of Riverwood Capital, Sebastian Mejia of Rappi, and Mariano Gomide de Faria of VTEX—sat down with long-time Americas investor Susan Segal of AS/COA for a conversation about how the region has an edge on creating the companies of tomorrow. In this conversation recorded at the 2024 COA Symposium in Miami this October, they discuss what it takes to build billion-dollar companies, Latin America's promising technology prospects, and the future of the region’s entrepreneurial businesses.

Uruguayans head to the polls on October 27 for what is looking to be a close contest between the incumbent conservative coalition and the leftist Broad Front. But there’s another key player in the race: a constitutional referendum that could reshape the country’s pension system. Nicolás Saldías, a senior analyst for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Economist Intelligence Unit, profiles the major presidential candidates and details what’s on the line economically and politically if the pension reform is approved.