Politics, Business & Culture in the Americas

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A (Realistic) Path to Success at COP30

As the world prepares for the UN climate summit in Belém, Brazil, one proposal stands out.

Belém and Its Challenges Await COP30

As the UN climate summit nears, the host city of Belém struggles with the daily realities of the Amazon.

The U.S. Can’t Afford to Sit Out Brazil’s Climate Summit

The global gathering presents the White House with an opportunity to enhance its leadership in the Western Hemisphere, writes AS/COA's CEO.

The Former Journalist Seeking Colombia’s Presidency
The Former Journalist Seeking Colombia’s Presidency
8 minute read

Vicky Dávila is a rising conservative candidate in the 2026 presidential race.

AQ Podcast | Colombia Enters a Turbulent Election Season
AQ Podcast | Colombia Enters a Turbulent Election Season
< 1 minute read

What to expect as the 2026 elections approach amid increasing violence and a strained relationship with the U.S.

REACTION: Trump Threatens 30% Tariffs on Mexico

REACTION: Trump Threatens 30% Tariffs on Mexico

7 minute read

In a letter to Sheinbaum, Trump wrote that the tariffs would take effect on August 1 and come in response to fentanyl trafficking.

Trump and Latin America

Trump’s Policies Are Testing U.S.-Latin America Ties

A year after AQ’s special report on what the U.S. election would mean for Latin America, even allies complain about heightened uncertainty.

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro at Mar-a-Lago in 2020.
REACTION: Trump Hits Brazil with 50% Tariff

In a letter addressed to Lula, Trump cited the treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

A cargo ship and tugboat sail through the Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal in Aug. 2024. How U.S. Tariffs Are Rewiring Latin American Trade
How U.S. Tariffs Are Rewiring Latin American Trade

A post-WTO trade order is emerging. The region’s ability to respond could define its role in the new global economy.

Cultura

The British journalist Dom Phillips conducts interviews for his book during a reporting trip to the Amazon in 2019.
A Journalist’s Last Dispatch from the Amazon
3 minute read

“How to Save the Amazon” confronts the complexity of the rainforest crisis—and still manages to inspire.

Cultura

In this still from Under the Flags, the Sun, Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner (right) speaks with Andrés Rodríguez Pedotti, who later overthrew Stroessner in a coup in 1989.
Remembering South America’s Longest Dictatorship
3 minute read

A riveting new documentary connects the Stroessner regime to broader forces beyond Paraguay’s borders.

Chile

SQM, Chile’s Embattled Lithium King
Chile’s Embattled Lithium King
7 minute read

SQM’s new state partnership faces growing scrutiny amid rising global competition for one of the world’s most critical minerals.

Photo Essay

An ice cave at 16,000 feet above sea level, photographed in 2021, extends over Pastoruri Glacier Lake in the Cordillera Blanca range of the Andes. The giant cave has since disappeared.
Photo Essay: The Melting Glaciers Releasing Heavy Metals
4 minute read

High in Peru’s Andes, communities and scientists are racing against time to mitigate one more calamity wrought by climate change.

AQ Q&A

Vicky Murillo
Q&A: Vicky Murillo on Latin America’s 2025 Election Cycle
2 minute read

A political science professor explains how voters are shopping around this year.

COP30

The Amazon by the Numbers
2 minute read

AQ maps the Pan-Amazon region and tracks key indicators on the Brazilian Amazon and Belém, host of the November COP30 summit.

U.S. Policy

What Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Means for the Americas: U.S. President Donald Trump signs the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, July 4, 2025.
What Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Means for the Americas
4 minute read

The signature legislation will impact regional economies, immigration, and energy policy, two experts write.

Venezuela

Venezuelan migrants outside the Venezuelan Embassy in Lima protesting against President Nicolas Maduro in January. The Future of Venezuela’s Diaspora
The Future of Venezuela’s Diaspora
5 minute read

Recent surveys of migrant communities in Colombia and Peru provide rare insights into the largest exodus in Latin American history.

Brazil

Brazilians are buying less food than they used to, blaming the government for the recent rise in food prices. A Resilient Brazilian Economy Is Under Diverging Pressures
A Resilient Brazilian Economy Is Under Diverging Pressures
4 minute read

While the central bank is trying to cool down economic activity, the government continues to implement demand-stimulating measures as elections loom.

Ecuador

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa in Beijing on June 27
Noboa’s Balancing Act Between China and the U.S.
4 minute read

Ecuador’s president is pursuing a pragmatic strategy with Beijing without unduly alienating Washington, an expert writes.

Chile

Communist Party presidential candidate Jeannette Jara speaks at a rally in Santiago, Chile on June 29.
Chile’s Left-Wing Primary Surprise
4 minute read

Communist Party candidate Jeannette Jara’s landslide victory is a blow to the traditional Chilean center-left and signals a more polarized general election.

Artificial Intelligence

Regulating AI on Latin America’s Terms
5 minute read

The region has a narrow window to develop its own approach, taking inspiration from international frameworks while adapting them to local needs.

Podcast

Interview about the new wave of leftist leaders in Latin America
AQ Podcast | BRICS and China’s Influence in Latin America  
< 1 minute read

What to expect from the summit in Brazil at a time of U.S.-China competition

Colombia

President Xi Jinping met with President Gustavo Petro in May during the China-CELAC Forum in Beijing.
Colombia’s China Pivot Raises U.S. Concerns
4 minute read

Bogotá can take steps toward a more strategic foreign policy, writes a former Colombian minister of planning.

Integration

Southeast Asian leaders at the 46th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in May: To Rethink Latin America’s Integration, Look to ASEAN
To Rethink Latin American Integration, Look to ASEAN
4 minute read

Asia’s 10-nation bloc provides a viable blueprint that could supercharge regional economies.

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