The Coming Struggle for the Spine of Latin America

This essay analyzes the multiple, simultaneous challenges and electoral processes currently affecting the situation and political-economic orientation of nations comprising the PacificRim, or spine, of Latin America. It examines the likely collapse of the trans-pacific partnership, the uncertain future of the Pacific Alliance, upcoming presidential elections in the next two years in Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, and Mexico, and another phenomenon, to conclude that the combination of these factors produces the possibility for significant change in the political and economic orientation of the region in the coming two years. It argues that such change, in combination with initiatives by the People’s Republic of China

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Evan Ellis March 23, 2017

An Agreement Between Question Marks- The Process Toward Peace & Security in Colombia

It remains to be seen whether this new compromise [between the Colombian government and the FARC] will serve to widen the consensus surrounding the peace process and clear the route toward the dissolution of the insurgency or, rather, open the door to a new phase of political polarization and keep Colombia trapped on shaky ground created by the failure to keep the promise to end the armed conflict.

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Evan Ellis February 2, 2017

China’s Second Policy Paper on Latin America and the Caribbean: Indications of Chinese intentions, and recommendations for the U.S. Response

China’s engagement in Latin America and the Caribbean increasingly impacts the region, and by extension, the economic and security environment of the U.S. As such, China’s new document on its approach toward the region is important for policymakers, analysts and businessmen with an interest in that relationship. This article thus examines that document and provides recommendations for U.S. policymakers of how best to respond.

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Evan Ellis December 23, 2016

Strategic insights: Thinking strategically about Latin America and the Caribbean

Even with its geographic connectedness to the United States, and although Latin America eclipses even China and Asia as the U.S. principal foreign trading partner, and despite the fact that more U.S. residents have family in the region than any other part of the world, Latin America, and the Caribbean continue to be remarkably absent from the U.S. strategic and foreign policy discourse.

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Evan Ellis December 15, 2016
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