Americas Quarterly

18/09/2025

Earlier this week, the U.S. “decertified” Venezuela, Bolivia and Colombia for failing to meet counternarcotics obligations. The move comes amid record coca cultivation and disputes over Bogotá’s strategy under President Gustavo Petro, who lashed out at the decision, accusing the U.S. of seeking to “participate” in the nation’s politics ahead of the 2026 presidential elections.

The temperature with Mexico is also rising. Reporting suggests Trump signed a directive opening the door to U.S. military force against cartels on foreign soil and at sea. Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has pushed back hard on sovereignty grounds, but has also handed over dozens of cartel members to the U.S.

These actions raise an obvious question: Will this new and reinforced strategy bear fruit for the U.S. and reduce the overall production and trafficking of illicit drugs?

Decertifications, terror labels, and episodic strikes risk alienating the partners Washington needs.

15/09/2025

The Trump administration’s aggressive use of import tariffs to advance a highly nationalistic economic and political agenda is imposing costs on consumers and businesses in the United States and abroad. Depending on the extent of retaliatory measures, the greatest potential for damage internationally is faced by the companies, industries and countries most closely integrated with the U.S. economy: Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and the United Kingdom.

Except for Mexico, the region will not be significantly impacted.

11/09/2025

Beijing is finding success by offering security cooperation very different from that of the U.S.

Beijing is finding success by offering security cooperation very different from that of the U.S.

08/09/2025

A year after reaching investment grade, Paraguay is growing fast but many Paraguayans feel left behind.

A year after reaching investment grade, the country is growing fast but many Paraguayans feel left behind.

05/09/2025

In Guyana, preliminary tallies indicate that President Irfaan Ali has won reelection by a wide margin and that his ruling party will hold onto its majority in the legislature.

What does this mean for the country? We asked analysts to weigh in:

Ali and his ruling party are projected to win handily and maintain their legislative majority.

05/09/2025

In Argentina, Milei has surprised many since he disrupted the political sphere. Local elections will take place in Buenos Aires province on Sunday, followed by national legislative midterms on October 26, and their outcome could prove decisive for the remainder of his term. With a declining approval rating, most analysts insist that the outcome will be key for Milei’s economic plans, support in Congress, and reelection prospects in 2027.

A big question now looms large: Can the president, with his economic achievements, win the elections despite the political and financial tensions of recent months?

Read the full analysis, by Leandro Gabin:

The outcome of two key upcoming votes will set the tone for the remainder of the Argentine president’s term.

03/09/2025

In Ecuador, Venezuelan migrants are often linked in the public imagination to crime, job competition, and fiscal strain. Yet, evidence from many countries shows that—with good policy—migration can help Ecuador tackle crime and improve the economy.

With the right policies in place, Venezuelan migrants could help Noboa’s administration revitalize the economy, two experts write.

28/08/2025

In Colombia, the death of presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe, along with wave of terrorist attacks and a growing number of deadly incidents on security forces have triggered a significant erosion in security indicators that will influence a highly polarized electoral cycle in 2026.

However, unlike the ideological wars that once engulfed the country, today’s violence is fragmented, unpredictable, and rooted in criminal governance — yet its impact on politics is just as destabilizing.

A wave of deadly attacks is sowing fear and most likely reshaping the 2026 presidential election.

27/08/2025

In Mexico, new judges are set to take office on September 1st after the historic judiciary elections that took place in June. In the months ahead, the court will rule on three cases that could reshape the country’s legal order.

Read the full analysis:

Three cases will reveal what’s next for the nation’s justice system as new judges assume office.

25/08/2025

In recent weeks, two starkly different visions of the future of the digital world emerged from the globe’s AI superpowers. The Trump administration released “Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan,” a comprehensive national AI strategy that frames artificial intelligence as a zero-sum competition where the U.S. must achieve “unquestioned and unchallenged global technological dominance.” Plus, China unveiled its “Action Plan on Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence,” positioning AI as a “global public good” that requires multilateral cooperation and emphasizing support for the Global South.

For Latin American policymakers, these manifestos present what appears to be a binary choice. Choosing wrong could mean decades of technological dependency, limited sovereignty, and diminished prospects for indigenous innovation. The tension between the two paths, however, could offer the region an opportunity for growth.

Read the full analysis, by Eduardo Levy Yeyati:

As the U.S. and China race against each other in artificial intelligence, Latin America can pursue digital non-alignment.

15/07/2025

In November, the world’s eyes will turn to Brazil as global leaders gather in the Amazonian city of Belém for the UN climate summit.

“Brazil and the Amazon serve as a cautionary tale,” write our editors.

Read our special report on COP30: https://buff.ly/sMv8gHD

22/04/2025

Guatemala is absolutely critical to many issues facing Latin America. Read our new special report on President Bernardo Arévalo’s challenges—and resilience.
https://americasquarterly.org/article/new-aq-reasons-for-hope-in-guatemala/