Latin America Commentary & Analysis

In Brazil’s Fight Against Corruption, Legislative and Judicial Reforms Must Follow

By Roberta Braga

Since 2015, Brazilians have seen former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s name in the headlines, and not for the reasons that led him to be considered one of the most popular world leaders from 2003 to 2011. Over the past two years, Lula, as Brazilians call him, has gotten more entangled in the web […]

Dialing Back US Engagement with Cuba Would be a Mistake

By Ashish Kumar Sen

If US President Donald J. Trump were to roll back engagement with Cuba it would chill US private sector investment, hurt Cuban entrepreneurs, and create an opportunity for Russia to assert itself on an island that lies merely ninety miles off the US coast, according to the Atlantic Council’s Jason Marczak, director of the Latin […]

Elections Key to Brazil’s Recovery

By Roberta Braga

A good-humored people by nature, Brazilians know how to take misfortune in stride. On social media, memes and videos poke fun at the widespread corruption allegations that have mired the nation. Almost every politician and the most prominent businessmen have been tainted, leading to one of Brazil’s worst democratic crises since the fall of the […]

Colombia Peace and Prosperity Report Launch: A Dinner with President Juan Manuel Santos

By Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center

After almost twelve months of consultations and deliberations, the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center launched on May 17 the Colombia Peace and Prosperity Task Force report: A Roadmap for US Engagement with Colombia. It was the culmination of the work of a notable group co-chaired by Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Ben Cardin […]

To Secure the United States’ Southern Border, Look to Central America

By Ashish Kumar Sen

US Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly says improvement in conditions will reduce unauthorized migration US Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly has some advice for people thinking of crossing over illegally into the United States: don’t bother coming. “The message is, ‘If you get here—if you pay the traffickers you will probably get here—you […]

The End of Corruption Culture in Latin America?

By Roberta Braga

Accountability in the region creates space for safer investments Odebrecht was once synonymous with Latin America’s most ambitious public works projects. Today, those who hear the name think only of the web of malfeasance that has engulfed the region and continues to extend beyond the continent. But, as negative as these new revelations may seem, […]

Update NAFTA, But First Understand Why It’s Important

By Carla A. Hills

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was heavily criticized during our recent presidential campaign. The day after US President Donald J. Trump’s swearing in, it was posted on the White House website that “the President is committed to renegotiating NAFTA [to give] American workers a fair deal.” Before moving forward to “renegotiate,” it is […]

‘Mexico Has Options’

Energy sector reform will continue with or without the United States, said former Mexican official Though recent political tensions threaten the stability of US-Mexico relations, Mexico’s ongoing energy sector reform will continue without US partnership, if necessary, according to Mexico’s former deputy secretary of energy. “Mexico’s energy reform does not depend on the United States,” […]

Trump’s ‘Rhetoric of Hate’ May Sway Mexico’s Elections

Mexican presidential candidate sees risk of an anti-American Mexican leader The “rhetoric of hate” that has dominated US President Donald J. Trump’s approach to Mexico could impact the outcome of Mexico’s presidential elections in 2018 and determine the future of the US-Mexican partnership, Margarita Zavala, a candidate for the Mexican presidency, said at the Atlantic […]