Democratic backsliding is occurring in several Latin American countries, and it is not evident that those countries can pivot to a democratic path in the near future.
The incorporation of the Blue Economy in Latin America still needs work. Although there is evidence of progress in developing regional and national plans and programs, they cover only 39 percent of the region’s territory.
In particular, discussions around history tend to ignore the need to teach students about Latin America and the Caribbean and how interconnected the world has become. This hole in the U.S. education system is reflected in a lack of attention to the region in U.S. foreign policy. To bolster engagement with the rest of the Americas, the United States should expand its education system’s coverage of Inter-American history and Latin American studies.
The 2022 U.S. midterm election results cement a trend that impacts U.S.-Latin American policy—hardline positions are largely bipartisan in Florida… a key question is whether Biden is willing to risk alienating elements of his own party to make changes in his foreign policy toward Latin America.
The label “pink tide” was already misleading 20 years ago. Today, with even more pronounced distinctions between the left-wing presidents and diverse foreign policy orientations—including some critical views of Cuba—such a generalization has become even more outdated and is by far too inaccurate to categorize a political trend.
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.
As Latin America inches toward recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is vital that the region’s governments align their rebuilding strategies with their commitments under the 2015 Paris climate agreement. The U.S. could help make that happen.
Grant provides an informative retrospective on the Pink Tide era.
The LGBT community in Latin America and the Caribbean has been impacted disproportionately hard this year, but LGBT advocates were able to achieve victories, even in countries with a poor track-record of openness to LGBT rights.
Despite the Nicaraguan reality of social and economic distress, the Ortega-Murillo administration’s mix of authoritarian democracy appears to be holding strong against the destabilizing effects of the pandemic.
