What's New From AQ

In a communication published today by Uruguay's presidential office, Uruguayan Minister of Social Development Daniel Olesker discussed why his country leads the list of 16 countries in the hemisphere that were ranked in Americas Quarterly's recently-published 2013 Social Inclusion Index.

On September 26 and 27, Latin American political, business and social leaders will gather in the city of León, Mexico to celebrate the 2013 AILA World Business Forum.

Energy: A New Era in the Americas

What is the hemisphere’s energy future? The Summer 2013 issue of Americas Quarterly, released on July 31, explores energy security, energy production and consumption, and how new technologies and petroleum discoveries in the Americas could affect global and regional geopolitics. The new AQ looks at the United States’ chances of achieving energy independence, the obstacles Brazil must overcome to become a green energy powerhouse, Central America’s inefficient, decentralized energy grid, and the disconnect between global energy demand and the production of renewable energy.  

In an article published on July 30, The Christian Science Monitor provides a broad overview of Americas Quarterly's 2013 Social Inclusion Index, which will be released on July 31 with the launch of the Summer 2013 issue of AQ.

Americas Quarterly Editor-in-Chief Christopher Sabatini appeared on VOA's Foro Interamericana (Interamerican Forum) on Friday to discuss AQ's new Social Inclusion Index.

Sabatini participated in a discussion with Dr. Mariana Anselme-López, chief of education programs at the Refugee Education Trust, and Judith Morrison, a senior advisor for the Gender and Diversity Unit at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The discussion, moderated by VOA's Patricia Dalmasy, marked the launch of Americas Quarterly’s 2013 Social Inclusion Index and focused on the overall Index findings as well as how to measure social inclusion, the correlation between certain variables and the importance of understanding social inclusion for comprehensive policy making.

In an interview with the Council on Foreign Relations, AS/COA Senior Director of Policy and AQ Editor-in-Chief Christopher Sabatini analyzes Latin American governments' varied reactions to revelations that the U.S. National Security Agency conducted large-scale spying programs in Central and South America. Sabatini predicts that the consequences for U.S.-Latin American relations should be minimal because the U.S. has a multifaceted relationship with Latin American countries. However, he cautions that the news could lead to extra scrutiny of telecommunications agreements in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations and adds that it will have a negative impact on the U.S.' moral standing in the region.

Because of the history of U.S. intervention in Latin America—and the outspoken anti-Americanism of some of its most visible leaders—many people assume that Latin Americans harbor strong anti-U.S. sentiments.

Yet surprisingly, survey data reveals the exact opposite—Latin America is the most pro-American region in the world, including in countries where leaders frequently rail against U.S. imperialism.

View the 2013 Social Inclusion Index.

What is social inclusion? How do countries stack up in the region? On July 24, Americas Quarterly and the Americas Society/Council of the Americas hosted a pre-publication briefing of AQ's second annual Social Inclusion Index in Washington DC.

In an article for Fox News Latino, AQ Editor-in-Chief Christopher Sabatini argues that Ecuador is no haven for freedom of expression, even as the former U.S. contractor Edward Snowden seeks asylum in the South American country after leaking details about the United States' National Security Agency surveillance program. 

With support from the Ford Foundation, Americas Quarterly partnered with local researchers in Chile, Colombia, and Peru in 2012 to conduct a study of four natural resource extraction investments in each country. All but two of the 12 case studies—a timber investment in Chile and a natural gas project in Peru—were mining projects. The goal was to understand under what conditions investment in natural resource extraction contributed to broader community and national development.