A region reacts as Secretary Blinken departs San José

Global Americans convened a panel of regional experts and analysts to weigh in on the implications of Blinken’s visit to Central America, seeking to answer the following questions: What can Costa Rica teach its Central American neighbors with respect to economic stability and transparent governance? How should the U.S. balance its hemispheric national security priorities with the thorny quandary of calling out democratic vulnerabilities and shortcomings? And, generally, which way forward for U.S.-Central American relations once Secretary Blinken has departed San José?

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admin June 3, 2021

The dramatic Latin American crisis

The projections of all international organizations and private analysts indicate that Latin America’s economy will only partially recover in 2021. As economic growth during the quinquennium prior to the current crisis was close to zero, the region is immersed in a new lost decade.

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José Antonio Ocampo June 2, 2021

Science and technology cooperation: A key strategy for U.S. engagement in Latin America

A recent publication by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD (R&E)) highlighted the need for the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to “stay abreast of emerging S&T (Science and Technology) around the world, leverage others’ investments and seek out collaborations in areas where researchers need to remain at the leading edge.” The report makes clear that, in order to confront the challenge posed by revisionist powers (RPs) in Latin America, a far larger S&T engagement strategy that encompasses a “whole-of-government” approach must be undertaken.

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admin June 1, 2021

Piñera stumbles as Chile elects its Constitutional Convention

This past weekend, Chileans cast ballots for the 155 delegates to the Constitutional Convention that—per the result of a national plebiscite held last October, in which over 78 percent of voters opted to commence the process of constitutional reform—will be tasked with replacing the 1980 constitution promulgated by the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet.

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admin May 21, 2021

Chile’s Constitutional Convention elections: institutional uncertainty and the long shadow of October 2019

Two things stood out when Chileans went to the polls for last October’s national plebiscite on the drafting of a new constitution. First, nearly 80 percent voted in favor of commencing the process to eventually draft a new constitution, signifying a fairly broad popular consensus that the path toward fixing the country’s ills would be an institutional one—quite a relief after the experience of the 2019 protests. Second, there was a high voter turnout: over 7.5 million Chileans, more than 50 percent of eligible voters, cast a ballot, marking the highest turnout since 2009 (in the middle of a pandemic, no less).

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admin May 21, 2021

Private sector involvement is key for Colombia to meet its environmental goals

The Colombian government has hinted at its interest in attracting the private sector to collaborate on its plans for energy transition, green growth, and environmental protection, but has not yet spent the time and political capital that will be necessary to get industrial interests on board. Will President Duque seize the moment? And will the private sector take the lead or take a backseat, waiting until Colombia’s political environment changes?

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Sergio Guzman May 20, 2021
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