The Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center (AALAC) and Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security (SCSS) held a conversation on the future of the United States’ partnership with Latin America and the Caribbean on Monday, February 26, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. E.T. This event launched a new Atlantic Council Strategy Paper, titled “Redefining US partnership with Latin America and the Caribbean for a new era.”

The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are crucial partners for the United States in areas such as trade, migration, and security. However, there is a perception that the United States has lost interest and, as a result, relevance in the region. In reality, half of the United States’ free trade agreements are with LAC countries, and the potential for increased trade could rejuvenate the partnership. A prosperous and stable LAC is in the United States’ security interest. Instability and lack of economic opportunity drive the proliferation of transnational criminal organizations and push people to take perilous journeys in search of better living conditions.

Watch the event recording above to learn more about the proposed strategy, informed by consultations with the US-LAC Strategy Working Group (a group of 30 high-level former government officials, business leaders, multilateral organization officials, and civil society from the US, LAC, and Europe), LAC diplomatic corps in Washington DC, US Chiefs of Mission serving in the region, US congressional offices, and business leaders. The conversation built on the findings of another collaborative project of AALAC and SCSS: a strategy paper on countering malign forms of Chinese and Russian influence in Latin America and the Caribbean, launched on February 12.

Featuring

H.E. Diana Mondino
Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade, and Worship
Argentina

Juan Gonzalez
Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for the Western Hemisphere
National Security Council

Mark A. Wells
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
US Department of State

Luis Alberto Moreno
Former President
Inter-American Development Bank;
Member, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center Advisory Council
Atlantic Council

Min. María Eugenia Brizuela de Avila
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
El Salvador;
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center
Atlantic Council

Jason Marczak
Vice President and Senior Director, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center
Atlantic Council

Dr. Andrew A. Michta
Director and Senior Fellow, Scowcroft Strategy Initiative, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security
Atlantic Council

Dr. Megan Reiss
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Scowcroft Strategy Initiative, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security
Atlantic Council

Valentina Sader
Deputy Director, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center
Atlantic Council

Maria Fernanda Bozmoski
Deputy Director, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center
Atlantic Council

Atlantic Council TV