35 West

By CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies

What's 35 West about?

The CSIS Americas Program podcast, “35 West”, discusses various political, economic, security, and social challenges in the Western Hemisphere through interviews and discussions with other CSIS experts and leaders throughout the region and the world. To subscribe to the podcast, please click the Apple Podcasts button above.

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35 West episodes:

03.07.2019
Cloudy Days for Justin Trudeau
Justin Trudeau is in trouble for meddling in a criminal investigation and dumping his attorney general. Mr. Canada, a.k.a. Chris Sands of Johns Hopkins University, is back to explain the details and how they could affect Canadian politics sooner rather...
02.22.2019
Mexico’s Melting Pot
As global forced migration increases rapidly, Mexico has transitioned from just an exporter of people north to a transit and a recipient country all in one. While significant challenges remain, Mexico has an opportunity for regional leadership on migration. Erol...
02.14.2019
All in the Family
Ambassador Jay Anania, born two blocks from the State Department, was drawn to the U.S. Foreign Service partly by the examples of his NSA dad and CIA mom. His 30-year career started in Tijuana and ended in Paramaribo, with stops...
01.24.2019
Coming Home
Images of migrants charging the U.S. border obscure a larger trend. Many Mexican and Central American migrants are returning home, whether they want to or not. Andrew Selee, president of the Migration Policy Institute, returns to talk about who is...
01.17.2019
North of the Border
Texas is greatly affected by tariffs, trade, and travel across the U.S. southern border. Matthew Rooney, director of the Economic Growth Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute in Dallas, gives us the view from the Lone Star State. He...
01.10.2019
Party Like It's 2018
Democrats now run the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Does it matter for Latin America? According to former Bush official José Cardenas, apart from Trump’s Wall there is remarkable bipartisan consensus on what needs to be done in hotspots like...
01.03.2019
Who’s Hispanic Here?
Arguably no state is more politically important than Florida, which has become an electoral microcosm for the whole country. But Hispanic voting patterns in the Sunshine State - and the definition of Hispanic - is very different. Ana Quintana, an...
12.27.2018
Who Moved My Monopoly?
Mexico’s government has surrendered its monopoly on the use of force, while large Mexican companies exert one in the marketplace. So argues Francisco González of SAIS in this week’s episode of 35 West. Along the way, Francisco covers 50 years...
12.18.2018
Maduro’s Deadline: January 10th
January 10, the date a new presidential period begins, represents an unprecedented opportunity for the international community to help halt Venezuela’s collapse. Despite the refusal of nearly 50 countries to recognize the May 2018 Venezuelan presidential elections, Nicolas Maduro plans...
12.13.2018
What Will AMLO and Bolsonaro Do To Energy Markets?
New leaders in Mexico and Brazil may mean big changes to their respective energy sectors. Energy expert Lisa Viscidi of the Inter-American Dialogue says a Mexican delay on offshore bidding could have a major impact, but that Brazil is likely...
12.06.2018
Cryptocurrency v. Authoritarianism in Venezuela
Cryptocurrency use is increasing amongst everyday Venezuelans. The Maduro regime has been tightening controls on the economy and continues to reject humanitarian aid. However, independent cryptocurrencies (as opposed to regime-controlled petro) are enabling censorship-resistant peer-to-peer digital cash transactions. Alejandro Machado,...
11.29.2018
What’s Left in Venezuela’s Policy Toolkit?
Current international pressure on the Venezuelan regime has not been enough to help restore the country’s democracy – at least, not yet. Venezuela is enduring the worst humanitarian crisis in the region, which is having an overwhelming impact on neighboring...
11.20.2018
Will We See More Caravans?
Caravans from Central America. They were big news for a while, now not so much. But they are sure to return to the front pages. Manuel Orozco, Director of Migration at the Inter-American Dialogue, joins Richard for a discussion on...
11.14.2018
Welcome to My House
Gone are hopes for a swift congressional ratification of USMCA with the House returning to the Democrats in January. Is Canada worried, and if so, why? Christopher Sands of Johns Hopkins University is back to help us empathize with our...
11.08.2018
Troika of Punditry
The Axis of Evil is out, the Troika of Tyranny is in. Are Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba the prisms through which U.S. policy in Latin America can be seen? Pedro Burelli, a former director of Venezuela’s state oil company, Moises...
10.31.2018
Free Fallin’
Bolsonaro in Brazil, migrants in Mexico, plebiscites on planes, and (assistant) Secretaries of State. Eric Farnsworth of the Council of the Americas and host Richard Miles go down the alliterative alphabet of the atlas, inferring implications for U.S. politics and...
10.26.2018
Walk This Way
Over 1,300 miles remain for a caravan of 7,000 Honduran migrants headed to the U.S. by foot. How many will peel off in Mexico, and what happens if and when they reach the U.S. border in several months? Andrew Selee,...
10.18.2018
Code Breaker
Has incoming Mexican president López Obrador cracked the Trump code? So far, his non-confrontational stance with the U.S. has analysts predicting a more tranquil bilateral relationship than expected. Mexico expert Pamela Starr from the University of Southern California returns to...
10.09.2018
Brazil’s Turn
Voters in Brazil joined the trend of upending expectations by giving Jair Bolsonaro 46% in the first round of the presidential elections. Is this jolt part of the global antiestablishment movement, or is it uniquely Brazilian? Gabrielle Trebat, a former...
10.04.2018
Louisiana Purchase
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) talks about his recent trip to Guatemala and Mexico, and discusses U.S. efforts to help fight corruption, strengthen borders, and to go after narcotics traffickers. The real hope, he believes, is in strengthening the regional economies...
09.20.2018
How Bad is Venezuela’s exodus?
Once South America’s richest country has now collapsed. About 2.5 million Venezuelans have fled their country in the last few years, putting unprecedented pressure on overwhelmed neighbors like Colombia and Brazil. Francisco Santos, Colombian Ambassador to the U.S., and David...
09.13.2018
Blame Canada
Has everything gone wrong since Trump came along? Regardless of whether Canada stays, walks or sprints away from a NAFTA deal, the experience has forced Canada to look at its entire relationship with the U.S. Christopher Sands of SAIS is...
08.31.2018
Auto Destruct
How will the enhanced “rule of origin” content requirements affect the North American automotive industry, especially in Mexico? Dr. Luz Maria de la Mora, a former Mexican trade negotiator, explains what Mexico got and what it gave up on autos,...
08.27.2018
Venezuela Adds More Money and Loses More People
Venezuela is currently experiencing 44 million percent (not a typo) annual inflation. Apart from forcing everyone to do more math, what is the Maduro regime doing about it? Unfortunately, nothing that matters, according to Professor Ricardo Hausmann from Harvard’s JFK...
08.20.2018
Coming Clean in Argentina
Crisis, scandal, and politics in Argentina. Does bad news for Cristina Kirchner equal good times for Mauricio Macri? Benjamin Gedan of the Wilson Center argues that Argentina’s very own Car Wash scandal – complete with couriers carrying cash to the...
08.16.2018
AMLO v. AMLO
Will Andrés Manuel López Obrador the “leftwing firebrand” or the “realistic pragmatist” show up for work on December 1? Mexico expert Duncan Wood of the Wilson Center helps sort out Mexican president-elect AMLO’s mandate and governing philosophy, and predicts that renewed Central American migration...
08.06.2018
Continental Divide: What’s Up With NAFTA?
Once again, a NAFTA deal may be close – or not. Tossing in tariffs, our experts Scott Miller and Chris Sands return to tell us why the Mexicans are up, the Canadians are down, and why farmers and car manufacturers...
08.02.2018
North American Work Out
What kind of workers does the North American economy need, and how will it get them? Former U.S. diplomat Anthony Wayne points out the “alarming skills gap,” in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, the rapid technological changes, and the need for the...
07.26.2018
The God That Failed – Again
Nicaragua joins – again – the list of imploding socialist states in Latin America. Daniel Ortega is using increasingly brutal tactics, including paramilitary death squads, to put down protests led in part by the Catholic Church. Mark Schneider, former Peace...
07.19.2018
Blockchain Can Help Venezuela
How low can Venezuela go? We’ve been predicting its collapse for a year, but it’s still around. Moises Rendon, our resident Venezuela expert, updates us on the misery resulting from the Maduro government’s policies, and explains how blockchain technology could help...
07.12.2018
AMLO Wins Big
Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s big victory in Mexico may mean changes for the U.S. Shannon O’Neil of the Council on Foreign relations returns to assess AMLO’s top priorities, his initial post-election signals, and the prospect of good relations with President...
06.28.2018
Apprehensive at the Border
The former Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Alan Bersin, explains exactly how the Trump Administration policy of detaining migrants works. He and Richard discuss the steep decline over the last two decade in apprehensions on the...
06.21.2018
Not Like a G7
President Trump got very mad at Prime Minister Trudeau at the recent G7 Summit in Canada. Christopher Sands of the School of Advanced International Studies explains how the blow up may affect Canadian politics and trade with the U.S. He...
06.14.2018
Oil and Politics in Latin America
The top oil producing countries in Latin America are all having elections this year. How will political changes in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela affect their oil output, and does this matter for the United States? Most importantly, will a...
06.07.2018
Borderline Normal
Are Mexico and the United States growing apart, or are they growing together? Mexico expert Andrew Selee, president of the Migration Policy Institute, discusses his new book, Vanishing Frontiers: The Forces Driving Mexico and the United States Together. He talks...
06.05.2018
Cross-Border Criminals
It’s not just drugs anymore. Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) organizations in Latin America traffic in people and money, and participate in illegal mining. Expert Evan Ellis, a professor at the U.S. Army War College, argues in his latest book for...
05.31.2018
Post-Venezuela Elections: What Really Counts?
After one of the lowest participations in Venezuela’s Electoral history, and widely seen as fraudulent, the U.S. and other like-minded countries are not recognizing the results of May 20th Venezuela’s presidential elections. Unfortunately for the people of Venezuela, the on-the-ground...
05.24.2018
Power Couple: The Canada and US Energy Relationship
for many U.S. states and Canadian provinces. The U.S. currently gets 45% of its crude oil from Canada, about 1 ½ times more than from all of the OPEC countries combined. In a joint podcast, economic driver with Canada is now...
05.17.2018
Getting Clean in Brazil
The Car Wash scandal triggered investigations that uncovered dirt on dozens of politicians and companies in Brazil and abroad. Brian Winter, editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly, compares Car Wash to other corruption scandals and updates us on a growing anti-corruption movement...
05.16.2018
Show Me the Money: Are Sanctions on Venezuela Working?
As Venezuela endures an upcoming presidential election on May 20th, widely seen as illegitimate, the U.S. and other like-minded countries are considering further sanctions on the Maduro regime. In a joint production of the Financial Integrity Network and CSIS, Juan...
05.03.2018
Unsafe Space: Mexico’s Security Problem
The security situation in Mexico remains grim, and is a major theme of Mexico’s presidential campaign. David Shedd, former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, long time CIA professional, and Latin American expert, assesses the state of the drug war,...
04.26.2018
How To Get to a Start-Up Continent
How do entire economies become more innovative? Jackson Streeter, an expert on technology transfer, maps the ecosystem of innovation. Strong intellectual property rights, investments in research and development, a risk-taking mentality, and seed funding are all necessary parts. Can they...
04.19.2018
Peak Form: Is the Summit of the Americas Worthwhile?
Almost all of the Western Hemisphere’s leaders recently ascended to the Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru. What did they accomplish? Ana Quintana, senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation, assesses the Summit’s output, especially on Venezuela. She comments...
04.12.2018
Good Cop, Bad Cop: Are US-Mexican Relations Better Than They Seem?
Mexico expert Shannon O’Neil of the Council on Foreign Relations gives her take on the Mexican economy, NAFTA, and President Enrique Peña Nieto’s faltering reforms. She also weighs in on the good cop, bad cop routine that constitutes the current...
03.29.2018
Meddle Without a Cause
Will the Russians meddle in Latin American elections this year? Russia expert David Salvo, a fellow at the German Marshall Fund’s Alliance for Securing Democracy, talks about possible Russian motives. Is Putin attempting a head fake to distract from his...
03.22.2018
Vivat Rex
The abrupt end of the Tillerson era may signal changes for US policy towards Latin America. Eric Farnsworth, Vice President of the Council of the Americas, explains the inner workings of the Trump Administration’s views on NAFTA, Venezuela, and the...
03.15.2018
Mexico and the US Come to a Fork in the Road
With talk of tariffs and trade wars once again putting NAFTA in jeopardy, what lies ahead for Mexico-U.S. relations? Pamela Starr, a scholar at USC, gives her take on trade, the failure of the drug war in Mexico, and the...
03.08.2018
Special “Presidential” Edition: Colombia’s Former President on Peace and Venezuela
Colombia’s upcoming presidential elections have two major issues: the peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and the impact of Venezuela’s crisis on Colombia, with which it shares a 1,300 mile border. On...

What's 35 West about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

35 West episodes:

Cloudy Days for Justin Trudeau

Mexico’s Melting Pot

All in the Family

Coming Home

North of the Border

Party Like It's 2018

Who’s Hispanic Here?

Who Moved My Monopoly?

Maduro’s Deadline: January 10th

What Will AMLO and Bolsonaro Do To Energy Markets?

Cryptocurrency v. Authoritarianism in Venezuela

What’s Left in Venezuela’s Policy Toolkit?

Will We See More Caravans?

Welcome to My House

Troika of Punditry

Free Fallin’

Walk This Way

Code Breaker

Brazil’s Turn

Louisiana Purchase

How Bad is Venezuela’s exodus?

Blame Canada

Auto Destruct

Venezuela Adds More Money and Loses More People

Coming Clean in Argentina

AMLO v. AMLO

Continental Divide: What’s Up With NAFTA?

North American Work Out

The God That Failed – Again

Blockchain Can Help Venezuela

AMLO Wins Big

Apprehensive at the Border

Not Like a G7

Oil and Politics in Latin America

Borderline Normal

Cross-Border Criminals

Post-Venezuela Elections: What Really Counts?

Power Couple: The Canada and US Energy Relationship

Getting Clean in Brazil

Show Me the Money: Are Sanctions on Venezuela Working?

Unsafe Space: Mexico’s Security Problem

How To Get to a Start-Up Continent

Peak Form: Is the Summit of the Americas Worthwhile?

Good Cop, Bad Cop: Are US-Mexican Relations Better Than They Seem?

Meddle Without a Cause

Vivat Rex

Mexico and the US Come to a Fork in the Road

Special “Presidential” Edition: Colombia’s Former President on Peace and Venezuela