Politics, Business & Culture in the Americas

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What Mexico Can (and Cannot) Control

Mexico can focus on navigating tensions with the United States while putting its own house in better order, writes a former policymaker.

The Immense Value of North America

The integration that the U.S., Mexico and Canada have achieved is a success story worth celebrating.

NEW AQ: A Middle Path for Mexico

Mexico can cope with uncertainty in the U.S. by focusing on domestic reforms.

Can Latin America Become a Data Center Powerhouse?
Can Latin America Become a Data Center Powerhouse?
6 minute read

An ongoing boom suggests major opportunities lie ahead, but only if the region invests in education and worker training.

AQ Podcast | Is Latin America Poised for Takeoff?
AQ Podcast | Is Latin America Poised for Takeoff?
< 1 minute read

Citi's chief economist for Latin America on why the stars may be aligning for the region, and what could go wrong.

The Battle for Latin America’s AI Future

The Battle for Latin America’s AI Future

4 minute read

To curb China’s technological presence in the region, the U.S. should pursue strategic displacement and provide credible alternatives, two experts write.

Brazil's Congress, now dominated by right and center-right parties, will have a pivotal role in the new government starting next January.
Brazil’s Right Will Have Power Beyond the Presidency

The first-round election result underscored a conservative ascendancy rooted in Congress and the states, with implications for the Bolsonaro family and more.

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro
REACTION: Flávio Bolsonaro and Lula Advance to Brazil’s Presidential Runoff

The eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro now looks like the favorite against the incumbent in the October 25 runoff.

Supporters of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro attend a campaign rally in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 22.
The Battle for Brazil’s Swing Voters: Women

The Bolsonaro family has struggled with women voters, but inflation and other pocketbook issues may give them an opening now.

AQ Podcast | Colombia: An Early Test for the New Government

Former Finance Minister Mauricio Cárdenas on what the earthquake means for De la Espriella’s ambitious agenda, and whether he can get both things right.

How Will De La Espriella Govern? Previous Newcomers Offer Clues

History shows that newcomers often pursue a maximalist approach once elected. That can be dangerous—including to the leaders themselves.

Colombian presidential candidates Iván Cepeda and Abelardo De La Espriella
REACTION: Colombia Heads Toward a Polarizing Runoff

Voters shook up the political landscape, setting up a runoff between right-wing firebrand Abelardo De La Espriella and leftist Iván Cepeda.

Keiko Fujimori speaks to the press outside her home in Lima on June 11.
Keiko Fujimori’s Defining Choice in Peru

Will Peru’s likely president-elect seek revenge, or build a democratic legacy?

Peruvian presidential candidates Roberto Sánchez and Keiko Fujimori on June 7
REACTION: Peru Runoff Is Too Close to Call (Again)

Conservative Keiko Fujimori and leftist Roberto Sánchez are in a dead heat.

Voters wait at a Lima polling station on Monday, April 13, after logistical problems led Peru's elections authorities to extend voting to a second day.
A New Test for Peru’s Economic Resilience

A runoff between Fujimori and Sánchez, if confirmed, will put the country’s famous macroeconomic stability at risk, a former finance minister writes.

President-elect Laura Fernández celebrates her win on Feb 1 in San José, Costa Rica.
REACTION: Laura Fernández Wins Big in Costa Rica

The right-wing, tough-on-crime president-elect will have a legislative majority and promises “deep and irreversible” change.

Costa Rica’s Democracy Faces a New Test, But It Will Endure

The election of Laura Fernández extends Costa Rica’s populist experiment. Its democracy will weather it, for now, two experts write.

Costa Rica's Police from the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) conduct an operation in a house to arrest four suspects in the assasination of the former Nicaraguan military Roberto Samcam, in San Jose, on September 12, 2025. Costa Rican police have arrested four suspects in the assassination on its soil of a fierce critic of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega in June, an official said Friday. Retired Nicaraguan army major Roberto Samcam, 66, was gunned down at his apartment building in San Jose on June 19. (Photo by Ezequiel BECERRA / AFP) (Photo by EZEQUIEL BECERRA/AFP via Getty Images)
Costa Rica’s ‘Safe Haven’ Faces a Reckoning

The country is experiencing an unprecedented security crisis ahead of the February 2026 election.

Venezuela

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez and President Donald Trump in a meeting in New York on September 22, 2026.
Can Venezuela’s Push for Elections Succeed?

The country’s democratic transition depends on Washington’s willingness to set an electoral timetable, an expert writes.

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright shake hands after signing an oil agreement in Caracas on Sept 2.
Venezuela’s Complicated U.S. Oil Deal

An accord anchored on billions of dollars lacks the depth needed to transform a neglected national oil industry, an expert writes.

Power transmission towers and electrical lines in the Catia neighborhood of Caracas on June 16, 2026
Venezuela’s Overwhelming Electricity Crisis

Simultaneous pressures are colliding at the worst possible time, making power generation a central test of the country’s capacity to recover.

Trump and Latin America

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva speaks during the Workers' Party convention in São Paulo on Aug. 2
The Donroe Doctrine’s China Paradox

Washington’s increasing focus on political alignment may be giving the region more reasons to keep China close.

Elbridge Colby on the Opportunities of the “Donroe Doctrine”

The greater U.S. focus on the Western Hemisphere signals a “fundamental change” in the region, writes the U.S. Under Secretary of War for Policy in a guest op-ed.

U.S. President Donald Trump, during a news conference on tariffs on Feb. 20, 2026, at the White House.
REACTION: How Trump’s 15% Tariff Move Impacts Latin America

The region remains well-positioned to face the new levies, experts say.

China

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (C-L) shakes hands with China's Great Wall Motor CEO Mu Feng (C-R) during the inauguration of the GWM automobile factory in Iracemapolis, São Paulo state in Aug. 2025
China Is Raising the Stakes in Latin America
3 minute read

Beijing is adjusting its priorities and doubling down on its playbook for the region.

Illicit Trade

Police participate in an operation targeting illicit tobacco trade in Medellín, Colombia.
Fighting Illicit Cigarette Trade in the Americas
4 minute read

The region has an opportunity to shore up tax revenues, combat organized crime and protect consumers all at once.

The Long View

Former President Gustavo Petro (L) meets with ELN commander Pablo Beltrán during negotiations in Bogotá in 2023.
Why Colombia’s ELN Guerrillas Have Never Made Peace
6 minute read

The country’s largest remaining rebel group has long silenced moderate voices within its ranks, posing a challenge to new President Abelardo De La Espriella.

Nicaragua

Carlos Fernando Chamorro
The Journalist Daniel Ortega Couldn’t Silence
6 minute read

Carlos Fernando Chamorro examines Nicaragua’s prospects for political change and the role of journalism in exile.

Artificial Intelligence

The Scala Data Centers Tamboré Campus in Barueri, Brazil, is one of the the largest and most advanced data center complexes in Latin America.
How Latin America Is Climbing the High-Tech Value Chain
5 minute read

Early successes in microchips and data centers offer hope for a promising area of regional growth.

Cultura

Valeria Luiselli attends the "LETTERATURE" Rome International Festival in Italy in 2023.
In Valeria Luiselli’s New Novel, the Past Never Stays Behind
3 minute read

“Beginning, Middle, End” crosses Sicily and Mexico, memory and imagination, to dissolve all borders between them.

Cultura

Ubeimar Rios portrays Óscar in the Colombian film "Un poeta."
“Un Poeta” Takes on Colombia’s Cultural Establishment
3 minute read

Simón Mesa Soto’s prize-winning black comedy exposes the gap between what artists claim to do for the poor and what they actually do.

Cultura

Former Ecuadorian Central Bank President Luis Jacome speaks during a press conference in 1998.
How Latin America Learned to Stop Printing Money
3 minute read

Luis I. Jácome’s history of regional central banking makes the case for the most significant economic reform of our time.

Visual Art

A major exhibition showcasing the work of Ana Mendieta is on view at Tate Modern in London through January 17, 2027.
A Tate Modern Retrospective Reclaims Ana Mendieta’s Legacy
3 minute read

A major exhibition in London shows how the Cuban artist’s work on ecology, exile, and the body anticipated conversations we are still having today.

Cultura

Argentine musician and song-writer Carlos Alberto Solari.
AQ’s Fall Playlist: A Tribute to Carlos Solari
3 minute read

Our music columnist writes about his personal connection to “El Indio” Solari, an iconic Argentine rock musician.

LATIN AMERICA

Noam Lupu A Vanderbilt University political scientist analyzes trends from the 2026 AmericasBarometer survey, which provides public opinion data from across the region.
Q&A: Noam Lupu on How Latin Americans View Democracy
2 minute read

A Vanderbilt University political scientist analyzes trends from the 2026 AmericasBarometer survey, which provides public opinion data from across the region.

Latin America

The Return of the “Desvisados”
4 minute read

The U.S. is revoking visas to highlight corruption, drug trafficking-related activities, and anti-democratic behavior. Will it work?

Cuba

A man rides a bicycle with a boy in a basket during a blackout in Havana on September 18, 2026.
Cuba’s Debate Is Missing What Cubans Want
4 minute read

As Washington and Havana spar over the island’s future, its citizens demand a solution to more pressing problems.

Brazil

Towels and caps for sale depicting Brazilian presidential candidates Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro are seen in a residential area of Brasília on September 11, 2026. Brazil will hold a presidential elections on October 4, 2026. (Photo by Sergio Lima / AFP via Getty Images)
What Washington May Misread in Brazil’s Election
4 minute read

President Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro have more in common than meets the eye on key issues, including trade with China and critical minerals.

China

Postal workers monitor humanoid robots on the sorting line at the Guangzhou Mail Distribution Center in China’s Guangdong province in September.
From China Shock to China Choke
5 minute read

The Asian giant is reshaping the global landscape with its trade preferences. Latin America and the world have a great deal at stake.

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