Democracy Dialogues

Daniel Lansberg-Rodríguez of Aurora MacroStrategy speaks on escalating crime, the 2025 presidential runoff, and the race's global implications. Speakers: Daniel Lansberg-Rodríguez , Founding Partner, Aurora MacroStrategy Eric Farnsworth , Vice President, Americas Society/Council of the Americas As Ecuador approaches a pivotal  presidential runoff , the country is enduring one of the most challengi...

“The mood [in Haiti] I would describe as despair and near panic,” says journalist  Michael Deibert  in a Democracy Dialogues interview with AS/COA Vice President  Eric Farnsworth . Drawing on his on-the-ground reporting and daily contact with Haitians, Deibert outlines how armed groups—some with as many as 14,000 members—are expanding their control over Port-au-Prince and other parts of the countr...

Venezuela’s president-elect speaks on the need for global pressure against the Maduro regime and the Trump administration's approach to the crisis. Speakers: Edmundo González Urrutia, President-elect of Venezuela Eric Farnsworth, Vice President, Americas Society/Council of the Americas “There’s now greater interest in finding a resolution to the Venezuelan political crisis within U.S. foreign poli...

The founder of El Cielo Group shares how his kitchen is helping to heal the divisions of Colombia's armed conflict. Speakers: Juan Manuel Barrientos , Chef and Founder, El Cielo Group Eric Farnsworth , Vice President, Americas Society/Council of the Americas “In my kitchen, we are not a former anything. You are a chef at El Cielo, and we are not looking back,” says Chef  Juan Manuel Barrientos  in...

he former head of the INE examines the state of democracy in Mexico as President Sheinbaum executes judicial reforms. "We are right now in the context of a transition into autocracy,” warns Lorenzo Córdova, a professor and researcher at the Institute of Legal Research at UNAM and the former head of Mexico’s National Electoral Institute (INE). In a Democracy Dialogues interview with AS/COA Vice Pre...

Franco Ordoñez, NPR's White House correspondent, offers insights into the evolving Trump-Harris battle. "Kamala Harris has gained momentum, and there's a lot of attention on her," says Franco Ordoñez, NPR White House correspondent. During a Democracy Dialogues interview with AS/COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth, Ordoñez shares insights on the shifting dynamics of the United Stat...

Speakers: Luis Carlos Ugalde , Former President, Mexican Federal Electoral Institute; Director General, Integralia Eric Farnsworth , Vice President, Americas Society/Council of the Americas "These elections could mark a critical turning point where our democracy either strengthens or weakens significantly," said  Luis Carlos Ugalde , founder and director general of political risk firm In...

Speakers:  Michael Abramowitz , President, Freedom House  Eric Farnsworth , Vice President, Americas Society/Council of the Americas "We're in what many have described as a democracy recession, which in Freedom House terms means that every year—for the past 18 years—more countries have experienced declines in political rights and civil liberties than those that experienced improvements,&q...

“China is becoming such a big game changer in terms of economics that all of a sudden even the European countries say this battle for strategic control of Latin America is 'interesting to us,'” said Ambassador  Francisco Santos  in an interview with AS/COA Vice President  Eric Farnsworth  about the multifaceted challenges facing democracy in the Western Hemisphere.   The Colombian former v...

"We have transnational organized criminals working throughout our hemisphere, undermining institutions, terrorizing communities, ordinary citizens—from the U.S. to all the way down to Argentina and Chile," said the State Department's Todd D. Robinson in an interview with AS/COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth. "The U.S. government and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law...

As we kick off 2024, our Democracy Dialogues series is set to feature key leaders from across the Americas, presenting crucial conversations about democracy in the context of a vibrant election year for the region. Tune in on the first Thursday of every month as we sit down with prominent figures to unravel the complexities and chart the course for the future of democracy in the Americas. If you&#...