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The upcoming Summit of the Americas could be the gravestone on U.S. influence in the region.

There is an opportunity to revise a dead-end sanctions policy on Venezuela that would serve both US geostrategic interests and the goal of democratic transition.

It’s on the United States to break the detente because Cuba’s continued isolation may have serious geopolitical consequences.

Opposing corruption in international forums is easy. Nobody is openly for it, and popular sentiment is strongly against it. Global public opinion surveys show that corruption is a primary concern of citizens all around the world, and a host of public ills can be attributed to it, from economic stagnation, to the global decline of trust in democracy and a range of other societal challenge

This paper examines the root causes of the power crisis in Venezuela in the context of the steady collapse of the state in the country, to provide a series of recommendations concerning rebuilding versus replacing existing infrastructure and priorities in Venezuela’s critical energy transition. It urges the engagement of principal stakeholders in a broad, transparent dialogue to launch the reform of the electricity sector in distinct, coordinated phases. 

This paper explores whether COVID-19 may have affected the traditional means illicit groups have used to launder their ill-gotten profits processes through three main channels: increased reliance on cryptocurrencies to move and launder funds tied to illicit activity; the expanded use of the internet through e-commerce sites to continue and expand trade mispricing practices to move illicit funds; and the use of FinTech and peer-to-peer payment services to transfer illicit funds.

The recent elections were denounced by more than 40 governments but sanctions had no measurable deterrent effect, so can the international community do more?

Explaining Latin America’s history of welcoming migrants, the push and pull factor at work in migration to the US, and the internal South American migration caused by the crisis in Venezuela.

With polls predicting electoral defeat, Brazil’s president seeks renewed legitimacy for his divisive rhetoric by ensuring social media platforms toe the line.

The government’s latest economic package falls short of the reforms needed for sustained growth.

Examining five key questions as the pressure grows on Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro, leaving the outcome of the 2022 elections harder to forecast.

Protests in Cuba have brought the US embargo back into the public debate but really are more about a failed regime and unaccountable political system.

Rooting out graft may be good politics at home, but it won’t fix Latin America’s socioeconomic woes.

Social protest is a new, and potentially positive, phenomenon for a still-repressive country, but stokes fear in its conservative political establishment.

An analysis of competing fiscal, contractual and institutional regimes

Anger at the perceived failure of the political class has driven a wave of populist leaders but their lack of economic success is worrying for the region's future.

Despite progress on peace between Colombia's state and ex-FARC guerrillas, alleged murders of social leaders are rising and coca is a political issue once more.

This article is part of the series America’s Global Role: The View from Abroad

What happens after 7 February, the disputed end date of Jovenel Moïse’s presidential term? Without any credible alternatives, the likely outcome is that events will mutate into something more dramatic, including widespread civil conflict. 

Inequality for indigenous people and Afro-Colombians is striking in a country with a progressive constitution built on multi-ethnic, multicultural principles.

The decision to participate in an election is not about assigning legitimacy, but about choosing a terrain in which to contest power from an authoritarian regime.

Rejecting science, creating enemies and polarizing discourse are part of Jair Bolsonaro’s leadership style. But can this style survive the simultaneous economic, political and social crisis that the pandemic has unravelled?

If rates of female ownership and investment in female-led companies decline in the post-COVID economy, this could spell further hardship for the region.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s decision to travel to the US was met with concern and incredulity in Mexico and bafflement among many Democrats in the US. Being seen as a close ally to Donald Trump could be detrimental to the future of bilateral relations.

The speakers discuss the status of the peace deal and its key components agreed to between the Colombian government and the FARC.

Brazil has become an even more dangerous country during the COVID-19 pandemic, with staggering increases in homicides, domestic violence, and violent crime.

The president’s emergency decrees have sidelined the congress, which is worrying for accountability and the rule of law.

Democracy is often depicted as a means to peacefully resolve political conflict and socioeconomic discontent. But what happens when that essential safety valve of elections has been closed off?

There has been no better example of the political diversity in Latin America than the varying responses of governments to the coronavirus crisis.

Exploring the challenges Venezuela currently faces in rebuilding its energy sector.

Colombia’s President Iván Duque is trying to stabilize the country’s marginalized, conflict-wracked regions while avoiding a full implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement. The murder of social leaders underscores the limitations of the strategy.

As Haiti enters its 12th week of political turmoil and economic inactivity, a path forward remains blocked by a standoff between an unpopular president and a diverse opposition unable so far to coalesce politically to force his ouster.

The popular uprisings in Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Haiti have many different causes and one thing in common: If history is any indicator, the outlook for genuine, lasting change is grim.

The demand will be there, but a range of barriers are likely to limit growth in agricultural trade links between the UK and Latin America.