35 West

En este episodio especial en español, Ryan C. Berg se sienta a conversar con Brenda Struminger, periodista y corresponsal de la Casa Rosada para Infobae. Ellos conversaron sobre la primera vuelta de las elecciones presidenciales argentinas y las cuestiones claves en juego, especialmente los planes de cada candidato para resolver la crisis económica del país. También analizaron la relación bilatera...

The level of economic integration that Mexico, the United States, and Canada have managed to achieve with one another is surely one of the defining success stories of the Western Hemisphere. Undoubtedly however, more needs to be done to realize the full potential of North American trade, especially as politically charged disputes over key issues from energy to automotives and agriculture risk unde...

En este episodio especial en español, Juliana Rubio se sienta a conversar con Tamara Dávila, Tamara Dávila, psicóloga, feminista y activista política, y también una de las 222 presas políticas que fueron enviadas a los Estados Unidos el 9 febrero de este año.  Ellos conversaron sobre el activismo continuo de Tamara en favor de los derechos humanos y la democracia en Nicaragua, así como en el papel...

On Sunday, August 20, Ecuadorians went to the polls to vote in a snap election clouded by political upheaval, violence, and uncertainty.  The campaign was marred especially by the assassination of vocal anticorruption candidate Fernando Villavicencio on August 9. With no candidate on August 20 securing the margin needed to win outright, Ecuador’s period of political uncertainty will stretch on fur...

On August 20, Guatemalans will head to the polls to elect their next president, marking the culmination of a long and fraught electoral process. The election will pit Sandra Torres, a longstanding political force heading one of the country’s most well-oiled political machines, against unexpected contender Bernardo Arevalo, who surged to claim second place in the June first round elections.  In thi...

Energy is an often overlooked, yet fundamental building block for economic growth and prosperity— especially in light of a shifting geopolitical context which has placed a premium on securing supply chains from disruption by malign actors and strategic competitors, there is a unique opportunity for North America as a bloc to rethink energy security. But the development of the North American natura...

A shifting global narcotics market has brought on new challenges, with one of the most significant developments occurring in the global cocaine trade, where Europe has emerged as the preeminent destination for these illicit shipments. As drug trafficking organizations pivot their operations to take advantage of the high prices cocaine fetches on the European markets and low penalties for distribut...

Linked by trade, geography, and shared democratic institutions, the partnership between Panama and the United States allowed both countries to reap significant benefits. However, beyond any economic factors, Panama’s commitment to democracy, including as a founding member of the Alliance for Development in Democracy, alongside Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, is truly what cements the import...

In recent years, the authoritarian Ortega-Murillo regime has consolidated power, systematically dismantled organized opposition, and brutally cracked down on public protests. To push back against the regime, the United States has deployed sanctions, on individuals, entities, and state-owned companies, as well as directed its executive directors at multilateral lending institutions to oppose financ...

After four years of a so-called “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign against Venezuela, there seems to be a push from Washington to revisit this sanctions architecture. Sanctions relief has long been a priority for the Maduro regime, which also ascribes blame for all manner of Venezuela’s economic woes on the U.S.-led sanctions campaign. However, the United States should be highly skeptical about...

AUKUS, the newly-established security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and United States, has made waves of late as a result of its focus on helping Australia operate, acquire, and eventually build its own nuclear-powered attack submarines. But the agreement goes well beyond that, to touch on emerging technologies and providing greater deterrence to revisionist and revanchist pow...

Rising geopolitical tensions between the United States, Russia, and China, have prompted some to argue the world is heading towards a polarized and fragmented future, with some countries split into opposing camps between democracies and autocracies and others not wanting to choose sides. In Latin America, rising U.S.-China competition has provoked fears that the region may be forced to choose betw...

Latin American and Caribbean countries face mounting risks from natural disasters, with the region ranking as one of the most climate vulnerable areas in the world. With climate change likely to exacerbate these challenges, developing effective strategies for delivering Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), is of critical importance in the Western Hemisphere.   In this episode, Ryan...

On April 3, 2023, the Maduro regime denounced the statement by International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan that the ICC would continue to press its investigation into human rights abuses perpetrated by the Venezuelan security forces. This marks the latest bout in a series of exchanges between the regime and the court, as Maduro seeks to undermine the investigation by pretending to address t...

The Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras have long faced challenges from gangs which have become entrenched criminal networks. In response, governments throughout the region have periodically adopted hardline, or mano dura, security policies to clamp down on gangs. Most recently, El Salvador has seen one of the most extreme versions of such a policy under President N...

More than one year after Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, Latin America and the Caribbean has been impacted in a number of ways. Demand for oil has prompted the United States to pursue an opening to Venezuela, empowering the authoritarian Maduro regime even as Washington denounces extra-hemispheric dictators. Meanwhile, disruptions to energy and fertilizer supplies more broadly have stalled ec...

Semiconductors, materials used to control the flow of electricity through a circuit in precise patterns, are the lifeblood of the modern digital economy. However, the global semiconductor industry remains highly concentrated, signaling a clear need to develop supply chain resiliency in the semiconductor industry. This trend in turn carries significant potential for Latin American countries, which...

With a rich network of volcanoes on the Ring of Fire, Latin America is uniquely positioned to benefit from developing geothermal energy within their countries. However, because geothermal energy is not found at the surface level of the earth, exploration costs, which translate to market price, are very high, and at the moment limit the potential for Latin America to draw out its full geothermal po...

En este episodio especial en español Ryan C. Berg se sienta a conversar con Valeria Moy, directora general del Instituto Mexicano para la Competitividad, uno de los centros de investigación más reconocido en México. Ellos conversaron sobre el estado del sector digital en México y los desafíos para el acceso seguro y fiable a Internet para todos. Aunque México tiene potencial significante en el esp...

In recent years, hydrogen has risen as an important prospect in the energy transition. Latin America is looking closely at the hydrogen industry, and governments in countries such as Chile, Colombia, Brazil, and Paraguay are betting on green hydrogen production; that is, hydrogen that is produced with renewable resources, such as wind and solar, as opposed to coal, natural gas, or other non-renewa...

The Western Hemisphere has been rocked by a series of regional and global shocks, from supply chain disruptions, to growing food insecurity, to political polarization and ongoing environmental shifts. In the face of these disruptions, private enterprise and the business community play an important role, maintaining livelihoods, supporting innovative technologies, and advocating for sustainable dev...

Journalists throughout the region must not only navigate rising disinformation, misinformation, and political polarization, but also threats to their own physical safety as the hemisphere continues to rank as one of the deadliest regions for journalist protections. To fortify the free and independent press throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, the Organization of American States recently ann...

No dia 2 de Outubro, o povo brasileiro votou no primeiro turno das eleições presidenciais. Por mais que nenhum candidato tenha conseguido uma maioria total, o Presidente Jair Bolsonaro e o ex-presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, que ganharam respectivamente 43 e 48% dos votos válidos, irão para o segundo turno. Nessa semana, Ryan C. Berg conversará com Thiago de Aragão, um senior associate no CSI...

On September 4, Chileans took to the polls for a constitutional referendum that saw a highly progressive draft constitution overwhelmingly rejected, with 62 percent voting against, and just 38 percent in favor. The outcome is a setback for the Boric government, which has tied itself to the constitutional reform project, and promises to lengthen an already long-running process. In this episode, Rya...

China has significantly expanded its presence throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, elevating worries that the democratic traditions of the Western Hemisphere could be at risk. However, the types of engagement China pursues and the consequences they present are often poorly understood, leading to misunderstandings between Washington and the region.   In this episode, Ryan C. Berg sits down w...