After a month of protests, the Chilean government agreed to a major demand of reform-minded protestors: one for a new constitution. Now the challenge is to figure out not only what that constitution will look like, but who will be at the table to write it. In this episode, constitutional lawyer Claudia Sarmiento talks with AS/COA Online’s Luisa Horwitz about the importance of female participation in drafting a new magna carta. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those o...
Dec 13, 2019•31 min•Ep. 98
One year into his presidency, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, or AMLO, is riding a wave of popularity. But the country’s homicide rate keeps going up while economic growth slows, raising questions about whether AMLO’s approval could take a hit. Pollster Jorge Buendía and IMCO’s Alexandra Zapata explain what could challenge AMLO’s popularity. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 📧Sign up for...
Dec 03, 2019•39 min•Ep. 97
President Jair Bolsonaro’s warming to China can be explained by the strong economic ties Brazil has with Asia, but there’s still a learning curve for the Sino-Brazilian partnership. Political scientist Maurício Santoro talks about the growth of Chinese investment in Brazil, the impact of the U.S.-China trade war on Latin American economies, and what Asia ties mean for issues like the Amazon and Mercosur. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Coun...
Nov 06, 2019•37 min•Ep. 96
Argentina’s 2019 presidential competition ended on October 27, when Alberto Fernández and running mate ex-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner won in the first round, unseating President Mauricio Macri. Buenos Aires-based Special Advisor to AS/COA Juan Cruz Díaz talks with AS/COA Online’s Luisa Horwitz about Macri’s legacy, the importance of the presidential transition, and the future of Argentine foreign relations. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Ameri...
Oct 30, 2019•39 min•Ep. 95
Uruguay’s 2019 race might not yield major political shifts, but the next president will still face unknown territory, says American University’s Arturo Porzecanski. With the first-round vote on October 27, the professor and international economist tells AS/COA Online’s Luisa Leme what is driving voters’ desire for change, how a new right-wing party entered the scene, and steps his country should have and could still take to become a Singapore-style success story. Opinions expressed in this podca...
Oct 17, 2019•33 min•Ep. 94
Marie Arana’s Silver, Sword, and Stone takes the readers from pre-Columbian times through the region’s conquest, independence movements, dirty wars, and right down to the present. In doing so, the book explores three driving forces in the region’s history: mining—and particularly mining, violence, and religion through the tales of three contemporary Latin Americans. In this episode, the award-winning author tells AS/COA’s Carin Zissis why she wrote this sweeping history now. Find out more about ...
Oct 10, 2019•24 min•Ep. 93
The Amazon fires have sparked international calls to curb deforestation, but the nine countries that are home to the region need to make a coordinated effort, says Maria Antonia Tigre, an environmental attorney and doctoral candidate at PACE University. “There needs to be practical guidebook of what [governments] plan and want to do.” Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 📧Sign up for our newsletters: as-c...
Sep 20, 2019•40 min•Ep. 92
Half of all peace agreements fall apart within five years. Three years after signing a storied deal, ex-FARC rebels say they’re taking back up their arms. The situation—compounded with election violence and a tense situation with neighboring Venezuela—is sobering, says Muni Jensen of the Albright Stonebridge Group, but Colombia nonetheless has a pragmatic president in office and a relatively solid economy. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Co...
Sep 12, 2019•21 min•Ep. 91
Brazil is a vast country. But how open is it actually? To examine this question, four architects set out to show what is often hard to see, creating a series of ten oversized, interdisciplinary maps in the exhibition, Walls of Air: The Brazilian Pavilion at the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale, on display now at Americas Society. In this episode, architects Laura González Fierro and MIT's Gabriel Kozlowski speak with AS/COA Online's Luisa Leme about the maps, which show how things like immigrat...
Jul 25, 2019•34 min•Ep. 90
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador made a campaign pledge to stop using the military for policing. But last month, he inaugurated a National Guard—a force he plans will be 150,000 strong. But does it offer something different from prior security policies? UC San Diego’s Cecilia Farfán-Méndez explains the National Guard 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. 📧Sign ...
Jul 17, 2019•28 min•Ep. 89
After his first six months in government, Jair Bolsonaro has been more disruptive when it comes to social issues than tackling Brazil stagnant economy. Can he fix the country’s problems? Economist Monica de Bolle of SAIS and the Peterson Institute for International Economics tells AS/COA Online’s Luisa Leme about Brazil’s economic growth problems and explains what’s standing in the way as the new government tries to get the country back on track. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessa...
Jul 10, 2019•36 min•Ep. 88
Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on Mexican goods is over—for now. The next question is how a U.S.-Mexican deal seeking to stem migration will take shape. Mexico Security Initiative’s Stephanie Leutert tells host Carin Zissis why Mexico might succeed at slowing Central American migration—if only in the short term. Listen to our previous episode with Leutert covering the migrant caravan crisis: https://bit.ly/2yv74wz Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Am...
Jun 11, 2019•31 min•Ep. 87
It’s become known as the week that changed everything, or at least everything in Guatemala’s presidential race. In mid-May, two of the country’s three leading presidential candidates were disqualified from running. That leaves one woman, Sandra Torres, standing as the frontrunner. But she doesn’t necessarily have it in the bag. Political scientist Marielos Chang tells AS/COA’s Carin Zissis who’s in and who’s out ahead of the June 16 vote. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily ref...
May 30, 2019•31 min•Ep. 86
On May 15, Brazil's new government saw its first national protests since Jair Bolsonaro took office as thousands across the country protested new budget cuts. But the 40-million-students system has challenges that go beyond ideological or budgetary battles. In this episode, Nova Escola’s Leandro Beguoci talks with AS/COA Online’s Luisa Leme and gives a perspective from the ground on how education is becoming part of Brazil’s civil society debate, where performance gaps exist, and lessons from co...
May 22, 2019•26 min•Ep. 85
He’s 37, a social media maven, and he won El Salvador’s presidential election without the backing of the country’s two main parties. Nayib Bukele, an ex-mayor of San Salvador, isn’t exactly a political newcomer. But his June inauguration will end 10 years of the leftist FMLN in power. Bukele spoke with CNBC’s Michelle Caruso-Cabrera our COA’s 49th Washington Conference about U.S. ties, Venezuela, China, and an ambitious promise on immigration. The #2019WCA conference lineup included U.S. VP Mike...
May 09, 2019•29 min•Ep. 84
From Pinar del Rio to Havana, Paris to New York, Cimafunk is taking his Afro-Cuban sound on the road. AS/COA Online’s Elizabeth Gonzalez sat down with the emerging musician and AS/COA Music Director Sebastián Zubieta to discuss the evolution of Cimafunk’s sound at home and abroad. Hear more Cimafunk at www.cimafunk.com. Learn more about upcoming Americas Society concerts at www.musicoftheamericas.org. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council...
Apr 24, 2019•22 min•Ep. 83
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega running down his political and economic capital, says former U.S. Ambassador John Feeley in this conversation with AS/COA Online’s Holly K. Sonneland on the one-year anniversary of when civil unrest first broke out in the Central American country. The ex-diplomat also talks about his firsthand experience of the diplomatic tug-of-war between Taiwan and China in the Central America. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas S...
Apr 18, 2019•41 min•Ep. 82
Viewed as the outsider candidate in Brazil’s election last year, President Jair Bolsonaro took office January 1 with promises to address some of the country’s biggest problems: economic growth, corruption, and security. But running as an outsider and governing are proving to be two very different things. AS/COA Brazil experts Brian Winter and Roberto Simon take stock of Bolsonaro’s performance negotiating pension reform with Congress, warming up to the United States, and fighting crime and corru...
Apr 04, 2019•44 min•Ep. 81
As Andrés Manuel López Obrador rounds out his first 100 days in office as president of Mexico, CIDE’s Carlos Bravo Regidor talks with AS/COA's Carin Zissis about his popularity, use of corruption as a political weapon, “omnipresence” through message control, and nostalgia. “He has this fantasy that he’s going to be able to choose his place in posterity,” says Bravo Regidor. Follow Carlos Bravo Regidor on Twitter: https://twitter.com/carlosbravoreg Learn more about AMLO’s first 100 days: www.as-c...
Mar 07, 2019•44 min•Ep. 80
In an effort to deliver law and order for voters doubting democracy, President Jair Bolsonaro promised to renew politics in Brasília. The problem with that plan? Brazil’s multiparty system—also known as Congress. Fundação Getulio Vargas’ Carlos Pereira talks with AS/COA Online’s Luisa Leme about the new president’s legislative strategy—and the headaches he faces. For more on the start of the Bolsonaro government, visit: http://www.as-coa.org/bolsonaro100 Opinions expressed in this podcast do not...
Feb 26, 2019•36 min•Ep. 79
Just as Cuba’s Revolution marks its 60-year anniversary, the country is preparing to vote on the biggest constitutional overhaul since 1976. Cuba analyst Michael Bustamente and Cuba Working Group (CWG) head Alana Tummino sat down with AS/COA Online’s Elizabeth Gonzalez to discuss the changes and the online debate taking place ahead of the February 24 constitutional referendum. Learn more about the AS/COA CWG at as-coa.org/cuba Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those o...
Feb 12, 2019•38 min•Ep. 78
If a crisis was already simmering in Venezuela, in the past month it’s boiled over. Guillermo Zubillaga, head of the AS/COA Venezuela Working Group, talks with Holly K. Sonneland about everything from China’s calculus in the current political standoff, the generosity of Colombia and Canada, and how we might yet be surprised as to how this all ends. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 📧Sign up for our new...
Feb 05, 2019•43 min•Ep. 77
“Latin Americans are not thrilled with democracy, but there’s very little evidence that…voters prefer any alternative,” says Steven Levitsky, co-author of How Democracies Die. In this interview with AS/COA Online’s Holly K. Sonneland, the Harvard professor talks about Brazil’s election, strategies for the Venezuelan opposition, and the lack of female authoritarians. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 📧S...
Jan 17, 2019•19 min•Ep. 76
Since Andrés Manuel López Obrador won the election by a landslide in July, observers have been looking for clues about whether the incoming president, who takes office December 1, will end up being a populist or a pragmatist. Former Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan tells AS/COA’s Carin Zissis why Donald Trump and AMLO have gotten along so far—and what might burst the bubbles. Plus, Speyside Mexico’s Amy Glover explains why AMLO is giving the private sector the jitters, but why we should give the new a...
Nov 29, 2018•42 min•Ep. 75
Was Brazil’s presidential election the epicenter of fake news crisis? Aos Fatos’ Tai Nalon spoke with AS/COA Online’s Luisa Leme about how misinformation on social media and closed messaging applications such as WhatsApp can interfere with democracy, and what that means on a global scale. Learn more: www.as-coa.org/brazil2018 Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 📧Sign up for our newsletters: as-coa.org/ne...
Nov 07, 2018•34 min•Ep. 74
Brazil elected far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro as president and the markets are rallying. “It is a change in route in the Brazilian economy that is much appreciated, considering that we have been in a recession for a very long time,” says J.P. Morgan’s Emy Shayo of the economic platform proposed by Bolsonaro’s pick for economic minister, Paulo Guedes. Learn about the country’s economic prospects under Brazil’s next administration. Get more information about Brazil’s election at: www.as-coa.or...
Oct 29, 2018•25 min•Ep. 73
Thousands in a migrant caravan are making their way on foot, through tear gas, and over rivers to get from Central America to the United States. "They know what they're facing when they hit Mexico, they know what they're facing with the Trump administration…and they keep moving forward," Stephanie Leutert, Mexico Security Initiative director at UT Austin’s Strauss Center, tells AS/COA Online’s Carin Zissis in an episode that takes stock of Mexico’s migration policy as it prepares for a new presi...
Oct 22, 2018•39 min•Ep. 72
What worries Peru’s leaders? They don’t want to go to jail, says past and future presidential candidate Julio Guzmán of the Purple Party in this interview with AS/COA Online’s Holly K. Sonneland. Guzmán also talks about the opportunity he finds in everything from the Pacific Alliance, to Peru’s youth, to the reversal of Alberto Fujimori’s pardon. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 📧Sign up for our newsl...
Oct 11, 2018•23 min•Ep. 71
The Trump administration disputed the Hurricane Maria death toll. We went to the source. AS/COA Online’s Brian Harper interviewed epidemiologist Dr. Ann Goldman, part of the team on the George Washington University report on excess mortality in Puerto Rico after the storm. “Using excess mortality as an indicator in a disaster situation is a good, fast way to start to get a handle on it,” said Dr. Goldman, who herself is from the island. Access the GW report: https://bit.ly/2wwqEqF Opinions expre...
Sep 26, 2018•24 min•Ep. 70
“This is a country that has been through massive traumas over the last couple of years. And you might say ‘okay, so they’re going to bottom out, things couldn’t get worse.’ Things could get worse.” In this podcast episode, AS/COA Online interviews two in-house Brazilian experts, Americas Quarterly Editor-in-Chief and AS/COA Vice President Brian Winter and new AS/COA Senior Director of Policy Roberto Simon, on what’s at stake ahead of the October 7 first-round vote, candidates’ advantages and dis...
Sep 20, 2018•47 min•Ep. 69
