Latin America Commentary & Analysis

Changing Nicolás Maduro’s Calculus in Venezuela

The United States, working with its allies, must gradually ramp up economic sanctions on Venezuela as part of a strategy to change Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian behavior, according to an Atlantic Council analyst. “The goal of the sanctions is to change the calculus of President Maduro and his supporters… so they realize there are […]

Venezuela: What are the most effective US sanctions?

By David Mortlock and Francisco Monaldi

With US sanctions against Nicolás Maduro firmly in place, the Trump administration is set to take more severe economic actions if the Venezuelan government continues to repress political and civil liberties. What is in the US toolbox and what would be the effects of implementation?

International Effort Needed to Address Crisis in Venezuela

By Kelly Russo

 While US sanctions on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro present a smart, targeted response, a coordinated international approach is necessary to address the political and humanitarian crises in Venezuela, according to two Atlantic Council analysts. “The United States can’t go it alone,” said Jason Marczak, director of the Latin America Economic Growth Initiative in the Atlantic […]

What if NAFTA Ended? The Imperative of a successful renegotiation

By Katherine Pereira

On Thursday, July 27th, the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center presented preliminary findings to the Mexican Congress of a new three-country report – What if NAFTA Ended? The Imperative of getting negotiations right. The event highlighted the strategic and economic importance of NAFTA to the North American economy right before negotiations between the […]

OAS Chief Calls for More Sanctions on Venezuela

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Targeted US sanctions, including against Venezuela’s oil sector, would be a welcome move against a regime that has plunged this South American nation into an economic and humanitarian crisis, Luis Almagro, secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), said at the Atlantic Council in Washington on July 21. US sanctions on Venezuelan officials […]

Venezuela on the Edge: The Time for New International Action

By Sara H. Van Velkinburgh

Since the beginning of 2017, thousands of Venezuelans have taken to the streets to protest the government’s repressive policies and worsening economic and humanitarian crisis. Following a massive referendum on July 16 in which millions of Venezuelans voted against a constituent assembly to rewrite the constitution, the international community is again considering its next move. […]

Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Touts Impartiality of Corruption Probe

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s conviction on corruption charges is not a political statement, but an enforcement of the law demonstrative of Brazil’s commitment to combat corruption at the highest levels of society, Brazilian Prosecutor-General Rodrigo Janot said at the Atlantic Council on July 19. “What we do is to apply criminal […]

Lessons From Brazil: Crisis, Corruption, and Global Cooperation

By Sebastian Maag Pardo

Corruption scandals continue to shake Latin America´s political landscape, but several institutions and anti-corruption movements have risen to the challenge. Across the region, vigorous investigations have implicated elite circles of business and politics –deemed untouchable– in major graft cases. Unprecedented in scale and impact, Brazil´s Lava Jato probe stands as the centerpiece of this new […]

Maduro Consolidates Power in Venezuela

By Sara Van Velkinburgh

Venezuela is undergoing a period of profound crisis. Protests occur on a daily basis in every major city in the country. Thousands of Venezuelans have fled in search of economic opportunities and stability. In response, the government has taken drastic measures, including proposing a rewrite of the constitution. In a sign that the crisis may […]