Americas Quarterly

NEW: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has been winning praise on both sides of the Mexico-U.S. border for her approach to combating organized crime. But her fentanyl-focused security strategy comes with a risk, writes Jacques Coste: In focusing on headline-grabbing raids and extraditions that smooth over relations with the U.S., there’s a chance that the forms of violence that affect Mexicans’ daily life the most will be neglected—things like disappearances, forced recruitment into organized crime, and extortion. #organizedcrime #cartels #mexico #fentanyl #usmexico #sheinbaum https://lnkd.in/ev6WxjcM

REACTION: Brazil’s Supreme Court decided that former President Jair Bolsonaro and close allies will stand trial for allegedly plotting a coup to overturn the 2022 election. Read Thomas Traumann and Brian Winter on what this means and what's next: #bolsonaro #stf #brazil https://lnkd.in/enSqGQUd

NEW: The conventional wisdom is that sanctions would hurt the Venezuelan economy, and the ensuing economic hardship would drive migration—something the Trump administration wants to avoid. But what drives Venezuelans to leave their country is not short-term economic conditions but the collapse of hope—the belief that positive change within their country has become impossible or highly unlikely, write Dany Bahar and Ricardo Hausmann. #venezuela #maduro #uspolicy #migration https://lnkd.in/eip9CEGX

The latest edition of The Americas This Week features Viridiana Rios on the AQ Podcast talking on Claudia Sheinbaum's popularity, Jose Ignacio Hernandez Gonzalez on El Salvador's Bitcoin experiment, and Arturo C. Porzecanski, PhD on Milei's currency regime challenge.

NEW: Javier Milei has made heroic progress on the fiscal and inflation fronts, writes Arturo C. Porzecanski, PhD. But by forsaking dollarization and keeping currency and capital controls in place, he has jeopardized his anti-inflationary program and discouraged a potential investment boom. #milei #argentina #imf #inflation #currency https://lnkd.in/eViBqfrm

El Salvador's Bitcoin experiment ended two months ago—what's left of the initiative and what's next? The change of heart for El Salvador’s government came from the conditions imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as part of a new?$1.4 billion?financial assistance program granted to the country, writes Jose Ignacio Hernandez Gonzalez. Even so, El Salvador aims to become a technological and?logistical hub?by promoting crypto assets and new technologies. The government?bought more?Bitcoin in March to bring the total of its Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Fund to 6,102 coins, or about $500 million. #bitcoin #cryptocurrency #elsalvador #bukele #imf https://lnkd.in/e_QCPDWG

The latest edition of The Americas This Week features Alonso Illueca on Panama's need for a new Trump strategy, Nick Burns on Chile's Johannes Kaiser, and Ernesto Revilla and others on Mexico's economic policy.

NEW: Panama's accommodating stance so far hasn’t stopped the U.S. president from demanding the return of the canal, writes Alonso Illueca. Some analysts believe Trump is simply intent on gaining further concessions from Panama, with maximalist demands serving as a negotiating tactic, but his address to Congress suggests he is serious about reclaiming direct U.S. control over the Panama Canal—and that regardless of Panama’s concessions, he will continue to work towards that end. Panama should abandon its accommodating policy towards the U.S., which can only lead to escalating demands to banish Chinese influence, to the detriment of Panama’s national sovereignty, writes Illueca. #panama #us #trump #panamacanal https://lnkd.in/dU7tTiAw

NEW: Lawmaker Johannes Kaiser is rising in the polls ahead of November’s presidential election amid rising concerns about crime and immigration, writes Nick Burns. Kaiser, who proudly describes himself as a “reactionary,” is now taking a turn in the spotlight after a recent poll showed him tied for the lead in October’s presidential election. He is the latest right-wing populist in Latin America to channel widespread frustration with crime, immigration and politics as usual, although his story has some distinctly Chilean twists. #chile #elecciones2025 https://lnkd.in/eJ6tDWy4

The latest edition of The Americas This Week features Jeremy McDermott on Latin America's battle with organized crime, Brian Winter on Trump's tariffs and Mexico, Rubén M. Perina on the OAS's high-stakes election, and Solange Márquez Espinoza, Ph.D. on Canada's challenge. #latinamerica #tariffs #trade #usmca #mexico #canada