We combed through all of our publications from 2018 and selected what we thought were the best ten articles that captured the trends and events of the past year.
The ongoing PRC advance in Latin America and associated end to the diplomatic truce with the ROC has legitimately raised the question of who might be next to abandon Taiwan for the benefits that come with recognition of the mainland.
The reports examine five specific areas—transnational security challenges, institutional capacity, economic growth, demographics, and technology—and how they will shape politics, economic and U.S. relations in Central America by 2030.
Cutting aid to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador would be counter-productive to U.S. interests, but maybe that’s what President Trump wants.
Widespread discontent with corruption-plagued traditional parties might result in a historical win for Nayib Bukele, a former FMLN member who is now running on a third-party platform.
Rather than ostracizing El Salvador, the U.S. should focus renewed attention on enhancing its support to Central American institutions working to enforce the rule of law.
El Salvador’s change will likely contribute to the sense of urgency of the remaining states that recognize Taiwan to follow the Salvadoran example and close a deal with the PRC before the opportunities for negotiating compensation for doing so dry up.
Crime and violence in the Northern Triangle is a regional issue that requires a collective response to the structural factors driving it: weak state capacity, corruption within police forces and the judiciary, and insufficient data. Deporting refugees back to the region doesn’t help.
On the surface, Latin America may look like an exception to rising gender-based violence and femicide around the world, given the region’s ratification of international conventions to protect women. Yet too many Latin American states are
lagging behind in actually implementing these measures at home
While global trade in services is booming, most Latin American countries continue to export basic goods. Here’s what Panama and Costa Rica did to catch up. Other countries should follow.
