Latin America in Focus

Feb 28 2025 210 ep. 29 mins 1.4k
Latin America in Focus Podcast artwork

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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What Brazil Can Teach the Americas About Immigration

Feb 28 2025 43 mins  
Migration management has surged to the top of the policy agenda in the region due to unprecedented numbers of Latin Americans on the move in recent years. With the new administration in the United States—the Western Hemisphere’s leading destination for migrants—increasing restrictions on immigration, how have other host countries in the Americas been coping with hundreds of t

The Durability of Mano Dura in Ecuador

Feb 13 2025 28 mins  
Ecuador, once among the safest countries in Latin America, now faces an insecurity crisis with the incursion of international criminal groups. President Daniel Noboa, now facing a reelection fight, is attempting to convince voters his hardline mano dura approach is one of the reasons to stay the course. Vanda Felbab-Brown, a security expert at Brookings Institution, explains what c

Borders, Bargains, and Bluster: Did Trump's Day One Set the Tone for Latin America?

Jan 22 2025 36 mins  
President Donald Trump broke tradition at his second inauguration, inviting world leaders, including from Latin America, to attend. But his day-one executive orders initiated a bumpy ride for the region in 2025. What can Latin American countries expect of "America First?" On this episode, three AS/COA experts—Carin Zissis, Brian Winter, and Juan Cruz Díaz—discussed Trump's ini

The Soft Power of Latin American Music

Dec 11 2024 40 mins  
For many Latin America enthusiasts, music serves as a gateway for understanding the cultural contours of the region. Sebastián Zubieta, Music Director at Americas Society, understands this profoundly. In conversation with Luisa Leme, Zubieta outlines his approach to striking an emotional chord with audiences while showcasing a mix of music and musicians that define and defy the mu

Lula, Sheinbaum, and Milei on a Shifting Global Stage

Nov 19 2024 31 mins  
It’s been a stuffed season of summits. October and November saw BRICS in Russia, APEC in Peru, and the G20 in Brazil. But with Trump’s reelection, leaders are adjusting their strategies and outlooks for the future of global forums. What does this mean for Latin America? We’ve convened a G3 of speakers from the region’s three G20 members. On this episode of Latin America in

Latin America’s Companies of Tomorrow, Today

Nov 07 2024 36 mins  
Latin America is known worldwide for its entrepreneurship. With unicorns, new ecosystems, and investments back to pre-pandemic levels, what's the region's secret sauce? Three of the Latin America's most successful business visionaries—Francisco Alvarez-Demalde of Riverwood Capital, Sebastian Mejia of Rappi, and Mariano Gomide de Faria of VTEX—sat down with long-time Americas in

What Do Brazil's Municipal Elections Tell About Polarization in Latin America?

Oct 16 2024 33 mins  
Local concerns like sanitation, funding for schools, or road repairs were low on the agenda during Brazil’s October 6 municipal elections. Campaigns for mayorships and town-council seats were flashpoints for national fissures of identity politics that are reshaping the traditional left-right spectrum. Thomas Traumann, a journalist and political consultant, discussed the implicati

Could a Referendum Rattle Uruguay's Presidential Race?

Oct 02 2024 30 mins  
Uruguayans head to the polls on October 27 for what is looking to be a close contest between the incumbent conservative coalition and the leftist Broad Front. But there’s another key player in the race: a constitutional referendum that could reshape the country’s pension system. Nicolás Saldías, a senior analyst for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Economist Intelligenc

What Brazil’s Twitter Ban Tells Us about Internet Laws in Latin America

Sep 18 2024 32 mins  
On August 31, users of Twitter/X woke up to a platform devoid of Brazilians. After a protracted fight with CEO Elon Musk, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered a shutdown of the social media site in his country. Marie Santini, founder of Net Lab, details the timeline that led to the shutdown and how it fits in the Brazil’s larger efforts around Internet regu

LatAm in Focus at 200: What Do We Know about Electoral Trends in the Americas?

Aug 28 2024 41 mins  
Our latest edition of Latin America in Focus marks a major milestone: episode 200. Over the past eight years, we’ve covered a range of topics—and asked a lot of questions, including in our episode titles. For this episode, we decided to revisit three of those questions to see how we would answer them now. Half the world is going to the polls in 2024, so we focus on elections.