Podcasts by Latin America in Focus
Go in depth on the latest trends in Latin American politics, economics, and culture in this podcast series by Americas Society/Council of the Americas.
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The Elections of Colombia's Discontent from 2022-02-15T17:07:42
Colombians could get three chances to cast ballots for the next president this year: in March’s interparty consultations, May’s first round, and a June runoff. A crowded candidate field ahead of th...
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Can Latin America Power Up Its Lithium Prospects? from 2022-01-31T16:24:17
Demand for lithium is expected to keep growing exponentially in the race to ensure we can power our smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicles. That could be a boon for Latin American economies, h...
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Three Stories You May Have Missed in 2021 from 2021-12-20T17:55:14
We dive into?the?under-covered but crucial issues facing the region this year. In this episode: AS/COA's Eric Farnsworth gets into how the high number of U.S. ambassador vacancies can upend Washing...
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The Democracy that Chileans Want from 2021-12-09T07:00:12
The presidential runoff between the right’s José Antonio Kast and the left’s Gabriel Boric leaves many voters feeling like “orphans” with no political home, raising a fundamental question about wha...
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COP26's Gauntlet for Brazil and Latin America from 2021-11-23T21:33:16
At November’s COP26 climate conference, countries met to generate stronger action on climate change. In attendance was Institute Talanoa’s Natalie Unterstell, a former Brazilian negotiator at clima...
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Democratic Tests in Honduras and Nicaragua from 2021-11-01T18:58:21
November brings with it two tricky electoral tests in Central America—Nicaragua on November 7 and Honduras on November 28. Both will be major tests for the countries democratic systems and for the ...
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Rewriting Mexico’s Security And Energy Agendas from 2021-10-14T00:00
October 2021 opened with big shifts in areas high on Mexico’s agenda: security and energy. Both issues are, arguably, the most crucial to the country’s future course. In conversations with AS/COA’s...
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What to Expect When Expecting the Brazilian Elections from 2021-09-30T20:30:43
We're one year out from Brazil's October 2022 presidential vote, but there are a lot of clues about the shape of the race already. IDEIA Big Data’s Mauricio Moura tells AS/COA Online's Luisa Leme ...
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El Salvador's Bitcoin Gamble from 2021-09-16T20:45:15
On September 7, El Salvador became the first country in the world to adopt a cryptocurrency as official legal tender. But while President Nayib Bukele has grown accustomed to high levels of popular...
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The Midway Point for Mexico's AMLO from 2021-09-01T20:27:29
Luis Rubio, president of México Evalúa, joins AS/COA’s Carin Zissis to dig into how President Andrés Manuel López Obrador will work with a newly elected legislature as he shapes his legacy halfway ...
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How to Vaccinate a Hemisphere from 2021-08-05T09:00:24
Acquiring hundreds of millions of vaccines is one thing. Getting them in the arms of hundreds of millions of Latin Americans is another. But partnerships with the private sector, existing vaccinati...
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Pedro Castillo Gets the Keys to Peru’s Castle from 2021-07-22T00:00
Journalist Mitra Taj and legal expert Alonso Gurmendi discuss the bumpy road ahead for Peru’s president elect, who faces opposition in Congress and among Lima’s elite, but whose presidency could ch...
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What Happened to Latin America's Anti-Corruption Push? from 2021-06-23T10:00:49
In recent years, Latin America’s political pendulum has swung from building strong institutions toward electing strong leaders. The shift weakened the region’s nascent anti-corruption movement, but...
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A Complicated Copa América from 2021-06-11T13:55:17
The 2021 Copa America kicks off June 13 in an almost empty stadium in Brasília. The tournament was slated to take place in Argentina and Colombia, but a combination of Covid-19 and social unrest fo...
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A Pre-Midterm Pulse Check on the Mexican Electorate from 2021-05-27T00:00
With Mexicans casting ballots for roughly 21,000 seats nationwide, the June 6 elections give voters a chance to assess President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s political movement nearly halfway thro...
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Chile’s Busy Electoral Calendar from 2021-05-10T00:00
Chile kicks off its electoral cycle in May with a vote for local, gubernatorial, and constitutional delegates and concludes with the selection of its next president. Isabel Aninat of Universidad Ad...
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The Push for Data Protection in Brazil from 2021-04-29T00:00
The transition to a fully digital world for many Brazilians reaffirmed data protection as a fundamental right. Still, concerns over both data privacy and protection loom large for the country after...
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The Story behind Joaquín Orellana's Musical Sculptures from 2021-04-14T14:00:26
Sonarimba, imbaluna, sinusoido, ululante. Joaquín Orellana’s musical sculptures have unusual names, formed by mixing words to describe the sounds they create. Co-curators Sebastian Zubieta and Dian...
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Voter Fatigue in Ecuador and Peru from 2021-03-30T19:03:34
Ecuadorans were hoping for something new. Peruvians simply want a government that will work. In both countries, which hold elections on April 11, voters are largely unenthused by traditional politi...
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How the Pandemic Boosted Financial Inclusion from 2021-03-16T04:00:38
There may be few silver linings to the pandemic, but accelerated financial inclusion in Latin America is one of them. In this episode, Luz Gomez and Arturo Franco of Mastercard’s Center for Inclusi...
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Madeleine Albright and Mack McLarty on Democratic Resiliency in the Americas from 2021-03-05T15:45:22
“I hate to say this, but democracy is not in good shape at the moment,” says former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, in conversation with ex-White House Chief of Staff Mack McLarty. In l...
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Washington's Shifts on Central America Policy from 2021-02-18T20:17:21
Joe Biden pledged a shift from Donald Trump’s policies when it comes to Central America, particularly on issues like migration, democracy promotion, and corruption. In this episode, we speak to Sal...
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Vaccines and Variants a Year into the Pandemic from 2021-02-03T21:42:43
February marks a year since the first coronavirus cases were confirmed in Latin America. Now the pandemic has entered a new phase, one in which countries are trying to roll out vaccines as quickly ...
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What’s on the Horizon for U.S.-Mexico Ties in a Biden Administration from 2021-01-19T22:16:31
From tensions over the U.S. investigation against a Mexican general to reversing the Trump administration's immigration policy, there are plenty of pressing topics on the U.S.-Mexico agenda. COMEXI...
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Three Stories You May Have Missed in 2020 from 2020-12-21T20:28:25
From an absent president to illegal fishing to agro-tech, AS/COA Online dives into under-covered—but important—issues facing Latin America in a year of competing headlines. In this episode: AEI’s R...
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IMF’s Kristalina Georgieva on Preventing another Lost Decade in Latin America from 2020-12-16T20:48:57
Latin America should use the current crisis to “push for a greener, digital, and more inclusive future for the region,” said International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. In t...
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Latin America’s Potential for a Green Recovery from 2020-12-02T14:33:22
With growing climate change concerns and the rising cost of oil extraction and production, governments around the world are considering reactivating their economies with more sustainable and less f...
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How Data Voids Exploit the Latino Vote from 2020-11-18T00:00
If there isn’t quality, factual content on a topic, trolls and bots will be there to fill the gap with disinformation on online platforms. Claudia Flores-Saviaga, a Facebook fellow and PHD candidat...
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On the Ground during Chile’s Year of Change from 2020-11-02T00:00
Unrest, a pandemic, polarization, and an election. In 2020, we could be referring to a number of countries. But in this episode, we’re talking about Chile’s transformational year, beginning with an...
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The Good and Bad of COVID-19’s Education Disruption from 2020-10-21T17:25:34
Most Latin American countries have yet to reopen schools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. What does it mean for Latin America’s present and future human capital development? Brookings Institut...
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A Look at How Migrant Money Cushions Economies from 2020-09-30T20:30:23
Remittances help pay medical bills and keep people fed in times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In Latin America, where many work informally and don’t have access to government assistance...
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How Business Schools Adapt in Times of Crisis from 2020-09-16T15:01:49
The pandemic is upending education as we know it. But even before COVID-19 hit, political unrest sparked by economic and social inequality proved the desire for a conscientious approach to business...
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Putting Women At The Center Of Latin America S COVID - 19 Response from 2020-08-26T19:03:40
Women were already struggling to achieve gender equity in Latin America. Then along came COVID-19, threatening jobs and bringing new burdens at home. PepsiCo’s Monica Bauer and Think Olga’s Juliana...
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The Strange Case of El Salvador's Plummeting Homicide Rate from 2020-07-29T14:34:58
Was President Nayib Bukele’s tough-on-crime approach the reason behind El Salvador’s murder rate dropping 60 percent during his first year in office? International Crisis Group’s Tiziano Breda tell...
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How Uruguay Got It Right from 2020-07-16T15:27:16
Around the world, tales of pandemic mismanagement abound. But there are success stories as well, such as Uruguay. The country’s PAHO representative, Dr. Giovani Escalante, spoke with AS/COA Online ...
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Shining a Light on Police Abuse In Mexico from 2020-06-18T04:00:42
Earlier this month, as demonstrators across the United States took to the streets to oppose police violence, Mexico was witnessing protests of its own following the extrajudicial killing of a const...
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How Brazil Could Slow Its Coronavirus Outbreak from 2020-06-11T15:40:41
If Latin America is now being described as the new coronavirus epicenter, then Brazil’s raging outbreak is a major reason why. But that doesn’t mean solutions don’t exist. Marcia Castro is chair of...
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The Myth Of The Monolithic Latino Vote from 2020-05-07T16:14:07
“Latino outreach” shouldn’t just be in Spanish. U.S. Latinos are split on deportation policy, and they’re being hit hardest economically by COVID-19. In this episode, AS/COA Online chisels away at ...
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How Is the Coronavirus Changing Brazil? from 2020-04-29T18:38:54
In Brazil, the coronavirus is a crisis that’s piling up on top of a previous recession, deforestation worries, and political polarization. AS/COA Online’s Luisa Leme spoke with three prior Latin Am...
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Queens of the Migrant Trail from 2020-04-16T20:27:56
“It felt like doing a movie,” says Cuban-American photojournalist Lisette Poole, talking to AS/COA Online’s Luisa Horwitz about her 51-day journey documenting two Cuban women migrating through 13 c...
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Dr. Julio Frenk on the Coronavirus Pandemic in an Age of Populism from 2020-03-16T21:20:56
“We need to understand that health security is national and global security,” says the University of Miami president, a former health minister of Mexico and dean of Harvard University’s School of P...
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Mexico’s Fight against Femicide Reaches a Boiling Point from 2020-03-03T16:30:24
Abril, Ingrid, Fátima. It’d take seven more names to get to 10—the average number of women killed daily in Mexico. Though the country poured resources into battling the violence, the femicide rate ...
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Latin American Cinema’s Point of No Return from 2020-02-26T17:06:49
Despite challenges like economic hardships and culture wars, the film industry faces big changes in countries such as Brazil and Argentina. Still, Latin America’s booming sector is making its mark ...
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The Future of Fintech in Argentina from 2020-02-19T14:14:08
Fintech in Latin America is growing, and Argentine entrepreneur Pierpaolo Barbieri talks with AS/COA Online about how technological innovations in the financial sector are transforming the economy ...
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How Can Latin American Economies Grow Again? from 2020-02-06T10:00:20
Is Latin America suffering from secular stagnation? Bloomberg's John Authers interviews the IMF's Western Hemisphere Department Director Alejandro Werner on the economic scenario in 2020 as the reg...
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Brazil's New And Old Hurdles In 2020 from 2020-01-30T06:00:30
In 2020, Brazil's economic woes might be similar to those of last year, but the world around it is changing fast. The Peterson Institute's Monica de Bolle talks about the country's nationalistic go...
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Have a Little Faith in Peru—and Its Constitution from 2020-01-23T21:49:41
Ahead of January 26 special legislative elections in Peru, we talk with constitutional law expert Alonso Gurmendi of Universidad del Pacífico about what makes these elections “weird” and how the co...
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What's on the Docket for Latin America in 2020? from 2020-01-14T14:26:15
2019 closed with disruption and discontent across much of Latin America. If we didn’t see last year’s wave of protests coming, what are the stories we’re overlooking as 2020 starts? James Bosworth,...
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Reissue: Monica de Bolle on Whether Bolsonaro Can Fix Brazil's Economy from 2020-01-01T06:00:13
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 ...
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Reissue: Carlos Bravo Regidor on the Start of AMLO's Presidency from 2019-12-26T05:00:03
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 a...
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Reissue: Nayib Bukele on His Plans for El Salvador from 2019-12-20T05:02:13
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 polit...
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The Role of Chilean Women in a New Constitution from 2019-12-13T15:11:53
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 constitutio...
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President AMLO’s Scorecard One Year In from 2019-12-03T23:09:41
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, rai...
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How Asia-Brazil Trade Shifted Bolsonaro’s China View from 2019-11-06T22:36:59
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 scien...
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Argentina’s 2019 Election Brings in a New President from 2019-10-30T21:22:25
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 Mauric...
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Behind Uruguay’s Presidential Vote from 2019-10-17T18:20:35
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 Oct...
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Marie Arana Talks Silver, Sword, and Stone from 2019-10-10T14:20:11
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 ...
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Can International Law Save the Amazon? from 2019-09-20T04:02:45
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 environme...
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Colombia at a Crossroads from 2019-09-12T17:42:03
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 vio...
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What's Keeping Urban Development in Brazil "from Being Free"? from 2019-07-25T19:05:38
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 map...
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Explaining Mexico’s National Guard from 2019-07-17T20:02:04
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...
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Can the Bolsonaro Government Fix Brazil's Economy? from 2019-07-10T20:04:34
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 ...
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Making Sense of a New U.S.-Mexican Migration Deal from 2019-06-11T21:11:04
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 Stepha...
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Who’s In and Who’s Out in Guatemala’s Presidential Race from 2019-05-30T16:59:07
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 disqualif...
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What’s behind Brazil’s Education Debate from 2019-05-22T20:47:19
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...
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President-elect Nayib Bukele on His Plans for El Salvador from 2019-05-09T20:52:27
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 polit...
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Meet Cuba's Emerging Artist, Cimafunk from 2019-04-24T12:00:04
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 Directo...
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Ambassador Feeley on Daniel Ortega's Flagging Grip on Nicaragua from 2019-04-18T18:27:05
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-y...
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Jair Bolsonaro's First 100 Days from 2019-04-04T18:37:09
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, cor...
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Sizing Up the Start of AMLO's Presidency from 2019-03-07T18:09:57
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 a...
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Can Bolsonaro Get What He Wants from Brazil’s Congress? from 2019-02-26T22:10:30
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 kno...
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Cuba’s New Constitution and 60 Years of the Revolution from 2019-02-12T18:59:45
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 (...
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What's Next in Venezuela's Tug of War? from 2019-02-05T22:45:42
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 f...
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How Healthy Is Democracy in Latin America? from 2019-01-17T21:43:39
“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 wit...
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What to Expect from an AMLO Presidency from 2018-11-29T06:00:14
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...
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Fact-Checking Brazil’s Misinformation Crisis from 2018-11-07T16:34:14
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 applic...
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What a Bolsonaro Win Means for Brazil’s Economy from 2018-10-29T17:48:03
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 bee...
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Amid Caravan Crisis, a Look at Mexico's Migration Policy from 2018-10-22T21:21:58
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,...
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Why Peru's Political Establishment Is Scared from 2018-10-11T00:00
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. G...
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A Closer Look at Hurricane Maria’s Death Toll from 2018-09-26T16:51:27
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 Wash...
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Who Will Win Brazil's Nostalgia Vote? from 2018-09-20T14:30:27
“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.”...
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The Venezuelan Exodus from 2018-09-12T16:46:04
For decades, Venezuela welcomed immigrants. Now, it’s Latin America’s time to welcome the 2.3 million migrants who’ve fled the country in the last five years, says Human Rights Watch Senior Researc...
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MORENA Holds the Cards in Mexico’s New Congress from 2018-09-04T16:05:42
On September 1, Mexico witnessed the historic opening session of a new federal Congress. Why historic? Because it represented an upending of the prior party system. With sweeping wins in the July e...
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Clandestina's Founders on Building a Fashion Brand in a Shifting Cuba from 2018-08-21T19:13:57
Cuba’s private sector has made a significant leap since its opening, counting nearly 600,000 micro-businesses owners, or cuentapropistas, today. Among its best-known entrepreneurs are the founders ...
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How Nicaragua Became Latin America's New Crisis from 2018-07-31T20:34:47
Since protests broke out in April, the number of Nicaraguans killed in clashes between the government and protesters—now over 300—is greater than the number of protestors killed in Venezuela in all...
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Why There Isn’t and Won’t Be Mass Latino Migration from 2018-07-12T14:47:56
Net undocumented migration from Mexico to the United States ended a decade ago, says Princeton sociologist Douglas Massey in this interview with AS/COA Online’s Holly K. Sonneland. And even though ...
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Millennials’ Big Role in the Mexican Elections from 2018-06-26T18:18:50
At 64, Mexico’s presidential frontrunner Andrés Manuel López Obrador is the oldest candidate, but that’s not stopping 51 percent of millennials from backing him. Their support matters: They have th...
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Why Mexico's Election Will Redraw the Country's Political Map from 2018-06-12T17:57:58
The closer we get to Mexico's July 1 vote, the more Andrés Manuel López Obrador's poll lead grows, and some 3,400 seats are up for grabs-about 60 percent more than in the 2012 vote-which helps MORE...
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Latin America in the Era of Fake News from 2018-06-07T21:42:25
Separating fact from fiction is a growing challenge in an era of fake news and "infoxification," given that we consume four times the amount of information that we did in 1986. Moreover, citizens a...
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El sueño americano en Cuba y los desafíos del cuentapropista from 2018-05-29T11:52:06
In this special episode of Latin America in Focus, we travel to Cuba to meet with cuentapropistas, Cuban entrepreneurs faced with the challenges of evolving policies in both Washington and Havana. ...
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Creating, Rebuilding, and Reinventing Latin American Cities from 2018-05-23T16:37:37
Some 80% of Latin Americans live in cities—more than twice 1950’s rate. How did these urban areas become the metropolises we know today? In this two-segment episode, we ...
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Everything More Important than Venezuela’s Election from 2018-05-16T20:52:27
With the May 20 presidential vote unlikely to bring regime change, the international private sector might be more effective than sanctions at putting pressure on Nicolás Maduro, Northwestern Univer...
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What the Summit of the Americas Was, Is, and Could Be from 2018-04-11T14:40:45
In 1994, the first Summit of the Americas took place just after the Cold War amid growing faith in democracy. But, over time, the Summit became increasingly marked by divisions. As the VIII Summit ...
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Put a Little Trust in Mexico from 2018-03-22T17:07:37
It’s election time in Mexico, and that means mudslinging and memes. It also means an unhappy electorate. A study found that Mexicans are more distrustful of their government than people in any of t...
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In Colombia's 2018 Elections, Drama Is Good for Democracy from 2018-03-16T13:59:46
Iván Duque and Gustavo Petro are leading the presidential race, but both will have their work cut out for them to expand their bases ahead of the May 27 first vote and June 17 runoff, says legal an...
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Back to the Future in Chile and El Salvador? from 2018-03-08T15:39:17
In Chile, center-right Sebastian Piñera replaces center-left Michelle Bachelet as president on March 11. Meanwhile, El Salvador’s March 4 legislative and municipal elections saw conservative partie...
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Giving Women the "Right Space to Thrive" from 2018-02-15T23:09:33
How has the #MeToo movement made 2018 the year of the woman and what does it mean in a Latin American context? We speak with Dr. Felicia Knaul, director of the University of Miami's Institute for A...
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Latin America Has One Foot in China's Belt and Road from 2018-02-08T18:08:07
Just before taking off on his Latin America tour this month, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned about China's growing engagement in the region. But with the TPP off the table and the futu...
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Costa Rican Voters Are “Blowing in the Wind” from 2018-01-31T21:51:30
On the eve of February 4 general elections, the greatest bloc of Tico voters are still undecided about who they’re going to pick for president. No fewer than six candidates have legitimate chances ...
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From Elections to Trade, Latin America's Big 2018 Stories from 2018-01-11T18:55:39
If 2017 was the year that changed the United States, 2018 will be the year that could change Latin America. A wave of elections will wash across the region, with voters choosing between the status ...
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Venezuela, Elections, Sanctions, and Baseball from 2017-12-14T16:46:33
Improbably, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is still in power at the close of 2017. But he'll lose "handily" in the 2018 presidential election—provided it's a remotely free and fair contest—sai...
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A New Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria from 2017-12-05T22:48:06
“If there is any silver lining to this crisis, it might be that finally we will see a new political class emerging,” says Edwin Meléndez, Director of CUNY’s Center for Puerto Rican Studies, in this...
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What to Look for in Chile’s Presidential Elections from 2017-11-15T13:14:44
Chileans vote for president November 19, though the chance that they’ll have to vote again in a December 17 runoff is almost certain. So far, former President Sebastián Piñera has a 20-point lead a...
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Why Restructuring Venezuelan Debt Won’t Happen under Maduro from 2017-11-08T17:49:50
Venezuela has invited bondholders to Caracas on November 13 to renegotiate $66 billion in external debt—but restructuring is not going to be possible under the administration of Nicolás Maduro, say...
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Getting Ready for the Next Big Earthquake in Mexico City from 2017-10-18T19:13:09
On September 19, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake shook Mexico City to its core, but also showed strides made since the last big one in 1985. “There is, of course, always room for improvement,” says 100 ...
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Mexico’s Big Year Ahead from 2017-10-12T15:36:35
2017 has been turbulent for Mexico, thanks in part to a new occupant in the White House. From NAFTA negotiations to presidential elections, there’s much at stake in the coming year as well. Victor ...
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Economic Realities Facing Chile’s Next President from 2017-09-27T14:11:45
Chile’s economy is slowing down, and the governing party may pay the price when the November 19 presidential election comes around. Former Finance Minister Felipe Larraín, who is now heading candid...
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What to Watch in NAFTA Negotiations from 2017-08-30T18:33:55
The Peterson Institute’s Gary Hufbauer talks with AS/COA Online’s Carin Zissis about the ins and outs of NAFTA renegotiations, covering everything from rules of origin to trade deficits, as well as...
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Las elecciones legislativas y el escenario político de Argentina from 2017-08-08T16:04:38
Con las elecciones primarias para el congreso el 13 de agosto, el Gobernador de Córdoba Juan Schiaretti comparte su perspectiva sobre el panorama político y el rol internacional de Argentina.
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Rodrigo Janot e o como o Brasil está exportando a luta contra a corrupção from 2017-07-27T16:59:50
Para o Procurador Geral da República Rodrigo Janot, as ações da Lava Jato contra a corrupção no Brasil são irreversíveis, mas a resposta para a crise política no país deve vir do Congresso e eleito...
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Six Weeks to Fix Venezuela's Health Crisis from 2017-07-21T14:25:48
More than 11 percent of Venezuelan children now suffer from moderate to severe malnutrition, which puts the country at crisis levels, says health and nutrition expert Susana Raffalli, who spoke wit...
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Why the Paris Agreement Spells Wins for Latin America from 2017-07-07T14:37:19
Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement might make Latin American countries more competitive in the global shift towards a clean economy. Brown University's G...
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Brazil’s Economic Gains amid Political Crisis from 2017-06-29T15:11:12
Brazil’s political crisis does not mean there aren’t new economic opportunities in the country. Prospectiva Consulting’s Ricardo Sennes spoke with AS/COA Online’s Luisa Leme about how the governmen...
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Chilean Voters “Are Not Looking for Pure, Perfect Politicians” from 2017-06-22T17:46:28
It’s election season in Chile, marking the start of a long electoral cycle across some 10 Latin American countries voting for president through 2018. Chile’s first-round vote isn’t until November 1...
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Francisco Goldman on Chronicling Mexico City from 2017-06-06T19:05:49
Francisco Goldman spent nearly two decades living off and on in Mexico City when he decided to take on a daunting task: learning to drive in the biggest megalopolis in the Americas. In a conversati...
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Can U.S. Agricultural Exports to Cuba Line up with White House Policy? from 2017-06-01T15:00:56
Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR) has taken on the role of arbiter when it comes to negotiating U.S. agricultural trade to Cuba, sponsoring a bill that allows U.S. firms to let Cuba pay for exports ...
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Fitch’s Rafael Guedes on Brazil’s Economy from 2017-05-02T20:29:18
Brazil’s pension reform delay is an obstacle for the country to regain its investment-grade credit rating, Fitch Rating’s Rafael Guedes told AS/COA Online’s Luisa Leme. The head of the ratings agen...
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What's Happening with Colombia's FARC Peace Process? from 2017-04-12T15:03:45
“Signing an accord is really not the key. Implementing the accord is the key,” says Virginia Bouvier, a senior advisor for peace processes at the U.S. Institute of Peace. She tells AS/COA Online’s ...
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Políticos latinoamericanos deben entender que la agenda LGBT es “mainstream” from 2017-03-29T18:20:03
En Latinoamérica, al menos cuatro países hoy en día han legalizado matrimonios del mismo sexo. Sin embargo a pesar de esto, los avances en los derechos de la comunidad LGBT están rezagados en compa...
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Cambiando la cultura machista de América Latina from 2017-03-14T18:44:40
Tras haber sido una de las regiones del mundo con mayor representación femenina en la política, el hemisferio occidental podría quedarse sin ninguna presidenta o primera ministra en el 2018. Violet...
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Jorge Castañeda Portends Changing Times for Mexico from 2017-02-27T14:36:03
What’s the next step for Mexico in its 10-year-old drug war? What would it take to end the country’s corruption epidemic? Who will win the 2018 presidential election? Jorge Castañeda, ex-foreign se...
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In Latin America, the New China Is Here to Stay from 2017-02-16T18:52:39
China’s growing middle class is an opportunity for Latin American economies, but the region has to be proactive about it, says Angel Melguizo. The head of the Latin American and Caribbean Unit in t...
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What's Ahead for Mexico's Economy in the Trump Era? from 2017-02-10T15:34:26
Something surprising happened with the Mexican peso since Donald Trump took office. The currency, which took a beating during the U.S. election, started making gains. So what’s ahead for the Mexica...
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Alejandro Werner on Bright Spots in 2017 from 2017-01-31T19:17:06
Despite uncertainty facing North America over NAFTA, there are positive trends across Latin America, from the biggest to the smallest economies, says Alejandro Werner, the fund's Western Hemisphere...
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Maurício Santoro on Brazil's Old Problems in a New Year from 2017-01-05T15:22:54
After a year of political and economic turbulence in Brazil, Maurício Santoro of the Rio de Janeiro State University spoke with AS/COA Online's Luisa Leme about what the rise of political outsiders...
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La salida a la crisis de Venezuela, según un exmilitar from 2016-12-07T18:46:17
El general retirado Antonio Rivero es uno de los pocos militares venezolanos que ha salido de los rangos del chavismo. Y ha pagado cara su defección. En este episodio, el general habla con Holly K....
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Richard Feinberg on the Post-Castro Cuban Economy from 2016-12-02T16:45:22
How will Cuba change after Fidel Castro’s death and with a new U.S. president taking office? Richard Feinberg shared his insights with AS/COA’s Alana Tummino at a launch for his new book Open for B...
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Millennials and the Future of Mexican Elections from 2016-11-10T23:01:25
While pundits piece together what was behind a Trump win in the U.S., Mexicans are looking ahead to their 2018 presidential vote. The results could be just as hard to predict, thanks to shifting po...
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Russ Dallen on Venezuela's Not-Quite Breaking Point from 2016-11-01T18:50:36
The worst thing about Venezuela's crisis? It's that there's nothing left from the trillions of dollars reaped during the oil boom, says Caracas Capital's Russ Dallen. In this podcast, Dallen, also ...
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Breaking Gender Norms in the Field of Law from 2016-10-19T17:16:51
Cristina López was 29 when she and a group of women colleagues defied a gender norm and started a law firm. Nine years later, it’s become one of Panama’s leading legal firms and continues to be run...
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How One New York Entrepreneur Made It in Medellín from 2016-10-14T16:36:19
What makes Medellín the Silicon Valley of Latin America? For tech entrepreneur Nelson Almanzar, it’s the talent, technology, and business resources. In an interview with AS/COA Online’s Elizabeth G...
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Keeping Mexico City from the Brink of Disaster from 2016-10-06T18:21:10
Earthquakes. Floods. Traffic. Pollution. Mexico City is prone to its fair share of hazards. But how does a metropolitan area that's home to 20 million people not only respond to them but also prepa...
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Analyzing the 2016 Latino Vote with Bendixen & Amandi from 2016-09-07T20:15:07
Florida's changing Latino demographics are turning the swing state blue. The Miami polling firm’s Anthony Williams talked with AS/COA Online's Holly K. Sonneland about Donald Trump's "astronomicall...
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Julio Borges on Civil Disobedience in Venezuela from 2016-08-17T15:54:57
In Venezuela, since the government no longer follows the Constitution, calls to practice civil disobedience in fact seek a return to order, says congressional opposition leader Julio Borges. The Ju...
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The Achilles Heel of Cuba's Energy Sector from 2016-08-10T19:18:34
Venezuelan oil production is at its lowest point in 13 years, and that means Cuba risks taking on a $1.3-billion deficit if oil shipments from Caracas were to stop. University of Texas at Austin's ...
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An On-the-Ground View of Rio’s Olympic Dream from 2016-07-26T16:32:18
Getting ready for the Olympics brought big changes to Rio, but the city was already going through a transformation. Rio-based Julia Michaels, author of RioReal blog, talks with AS/COA Online’s Luis...
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The Intertwined Nature Of U.S.-Mexico Ties from 2016-07-15T21:41:01
Diego Gómez Pickering spoke with AS/COA Online’s Carin Zissis about the message that Mexico is working to get out about close ties with the United States. “Nowadays we cannot talk of the Mexican ec...
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The Agenda for the North American Leaders' Summit from 2016-06-27T21:50:12
Days after British voters backed Brexit, the heads of state of Canada, Mexico, and the United States meet for the North American Leaders' Summit. Integration's benefits count as one issue on their ...
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The Trump Threat to North American Security from 2016-06-22T19:04:55
What do you do when a U.S. presidential candidate makes bashing your country a campaign centerpiece? Try to set the record straight. Agustín Barrios Gómez, Mexico Image Foundation president and for...
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Simón Gaviria on Financing Peace in Colombia from 2016-06-11T00:00
Foreign direct investment in Colombia stands to triple in a post-conflict era. Simón Gaviria speaks with AS/COA Online’s Holly Sonneland about how Colombia's government is financing peace in the an...
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Josefina Vidal on a Changing Cuba from 2016-06-07T16:03:17
As Cuba continues to expand its private sector, AS/COA Online talks with Josefina Vidal, Cuba’s director of foreign affairs with the United States, on the country’s economic reforms. Vidal offers a...
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Argentina's Rocky Road to Growth from 2016-05-31T15:55:19
Argentina’s economy will expand 3.5 percent in 2017, but that’s after a few bumps and a recession in 2016. AS/COA Online's Elizabeth Gonzalez spoke to economist Fernando Navajas of the Buenos Aires...
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Colombia's Post-Conflict Challenges from 2016-05-18T15:54:20
Frank Pearl, a negotiator in peace talks between the Colombian government and the FARC and ELN, talks with AS/COA's Adriana La Rotta about what comes next once the peace deal is signed. He addresse...
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Fixing Brazil's Economy from 2016-05-05T15:05:42
The IMF's executive director outlines where economic policy went wrong and draws lessons from Brazil's worst crisis in decades, saying the process could lead to a new relationship between the priva...
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El rol de las redes sociales en la democracia venezolana from 2016-04-23T00:00
Luz Mely Reyes, cofundadora del medio noticioso comunitario y colaborativo Efecto Cocuyo, habla con Guillermo Zubillaga sobre su carrera, el rol de las redes sociales en la democracia venezolana y...
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Mexico’s Evolving Marijuana Laws from 2016-04-14T19:01:08
Alejandro Hope, El Daily Post’s security editor, speaks with Carin Zissis about how national-level changes in drug policy in the Americas have an impact on global policy. He predicts a large portio...
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Peru's Dramatic 2016 Presidential Election from 2016-04-07T16:48:49
Harvard's Steven Levitsky talks with Holly K. Sonneland about Peru's 2016 presidential election, the candidates, and the ups and downs of the race.
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Congressman Rick Crawford on U.S. Agricultural Trade with Cuba from 2016-04-04T13:50:45
Trade is good business for both the U.S. and Cuban economies, says Arkansas Republican Rick Crawford, who talks with Elizabeth Gonzalez about a bill he introduced that would ease trade restrictions...
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Crisis Mode: Brazil’s Current Scenario from 2016-03-10T21:33:27
Ricardo Gandour, director of Grupo Estado, speaks with Luisa Leme about the “perfect storm” of events putting Brazil in crisis mode. His proposed solution? A new constitution. Hear what the head o...
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Will Venezuela Default? from 2016-03-01T22:45:16
Moody's Jaime Reusche talks with Holly K. Sonneland about Venezuela's upcoming bond payments, its complicated relationship with China, and what oil price will keep the budget in the black.
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