New interview series
Global Americans and the Canadian Council for the Americas presents “Two gringos with questions,” an interview series dedicated to the Americas. Your hosts GA Executive Director Chris Sabatini and CCA’s President Kenneth Frankel, two gringos who focus on and work in Latin America and the Caribbean, will ask policymakers, business leaders and cultural movers and shakers about their views on the region and its future. The series provides informal and unexpected information on what’s going on in Latin America and in the Western Hemisphere as a whole. Click here to access the interviews.
New interview series
Global Americans and the Canadian Council for the Americas presents “Two gringos with questions,” an interview series dedicated to the Americas. Your hosts GA Executive Director Chris Sabatini and CCA’s President Kenneth Frankel, two gringos who focus on and work in Latin America and the Caribbean, will ask policymakers, business leaders and cultural movers and shakers about their views on the region and its future. The series provides informal and unexpected information on what’s going on in Latin America and in the Western Hemisphere as a whole. Click here to access the interviews.
United States and Venezuela: Politics caught up in rhetoric
Bolton is out, but Nicolas Maduro’s dictatorship is not. The United States must rethink its strategy urgently. This is not your garden variety authoritarian government that responds to the usual incentives.
On Trump’s Latin America team: The leadership of the Bureau for Western Hemisphere Affairs is complete
With Kozak as acting Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere, the leadership of the Bureau is complete.
Here’s what you need to know about Trump’s National Security Advisor pick
President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced his new National Security Advisor after short listing five candidates on Tuesday. Below are their bios.
Brazil’s red flags
Brazil’s structural issues didn’t start with the arrival of President Bolsonaro. Yet his failure to compromise with the progressive agenda only makes Brazil’s structural problems worse.
Acting on climate while states fail to act
Brazil and the developing world are not the only culprits on climate change. The developed world too shares the blame for CO2 output. Unfortunately, the international system lacks the capacity to address these gaps. Is it time to reconsider activism and action that doesn’t depend on states?
An interview with Jon Lee Anderson, investigative reporter for The New Yorker
In the 21 episode of "Two gringos with questions," Chris and Ken speak to Jon Lee about National Security Advisor John Bolton's recent firing, its effect on the administration's foreign policy in Venezuela and the future of journalism in Latin America.
El Salvador’s CICIES is a good start, but it’s going to need a lot of work
If president Bukele does not address the issues of legitimacy and autonomy of his OAS-guaranteed graft commission, he risks gambling with the CICIES’ credibility and future.
The fall of Guatemala’s Sandra Torres
Sandra Torres' arrest comes less than a month after she competed in Guatemala's presidential run-off election. Her fall reveals what the fight against corruption will look like in a post-CICIG era.
AMLO’s first State of the Union address
On September 1, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) delivered his first summary of the country address. But AMLO’s Fourth Transformation—an ambitious political project to transform Mexico—seems to be falling short in addressing the country’s challenges, both nationally and internationally.
Key issues in the return of the FARC armed conflict
How the possible consequences of the Colombian guerrilla group's announcement to retake arms multiply the uncertainties in the Latin American country.
An interview with Benjamin Gedan, director of the Wilson Center’s Argentina Project
In the twentieth episode of "Two gringos with questions," Chris and Ken speak to Gedan about what Argentina’s landscape will look like under an Alberto Fernández presidency and more.
Under Bolsonaro the Amazon fires are much worse
Wildfires in the Amazon rainforest caused a social media frenzy last week, shining a spotlight on Brazil. Although fires in the Amazon aren’t new, under the Bolsonaro government they take on a new meaning.
Primary elections in Argentina…oxygen for Maduro?
Following the PASO results, a possible return of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to power could be the oxygen Maduro needs to perpetuate his dictatorship. But unlike the Chávez-Kirchner alliance of the 2000s, today's context is very different.
Aiming for net zero emissions could boost economic growth in Latin America
Scaling up climate-related policies and investing in sustainable infrastructure could increase GDP by up to 2.8 percent on average across G20 countries by 2050. Aiming for net zero emissions is not only smart policy, but a growth opportunity for Latin American countries.
The EU-MERCOSUR Association Agreement: The devil is in the details
After two decades, the EU and MERCOSUR nations finally concluded negotiations for a trade agreement that goes beyond strictly commercial topics to also foster dialogue and political cooperation. The bad news? The ratification process could take a long time.
Argentina’s primary election results: Furthering political polarization and economic instability
In a surprising turn of events, Peronist candidate Alberto Fernández and former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner swept Argentina’s primary elections with 47.66 percent of the national vote. Why? And what are the implications for the October elections?
Behind Paraguay’s secret deal and the resulting political crisis over ITAIPU
Christine Folch of Duke University sat down with Pedro Ferreira the technocrat who resigned as head of Paraguay’s public utility company ANDE over a secret agreement deal to sell excess energy to Brazil at below-market prices for profit. He explains the politics behind it and why he did it.
IN THE MEDIA
El chavismo huye hacia adelante con una oposición hecha a su medida
Analistas a DDC: el Gobierno de Maduro ha 'montado una estrategia que en la práctica significa un golpe de Estado para la oposición'.
¿Un país en crisis o en fiesta?
Si los chilenos estuviéramos pensando de forma responsable cómo enfrentar los enormes desafíos que se vienen, habría muchos sugiriendo que, a cambio de la reducción en la jornada laboral y el aumento en las cotizaciones para las pensiones, se debiera reducir el número de feriados y que, para las fiestas patrias, debiéramos tener—así como la mayoría de los países OECD—solo un día festivo.
Cubillos valiente
No sabemos cuál va a ser el destino de esta acusación constitucional. Pero lo que es evidente es que la decisión de los partidos políticos de enfrascarse en un debate que le importa poco a la gente refleja la incapacidad de la clase política de hacerse cargo de las preocupaciones y prioridades de la población.
Siete retos para medios locales
Hoy se plantean retos como la necesidad de rescatar el sentido de lo público; pensar en la relación entre lo público y los medios de comunicación