LatAm Dialogue

Sonja and Isabel discuss the latest developments in Venezuela’s relationship with Washington, including a major oil deal. They also explain the headlines surrounding the Falkland Islands.

The episode's second half looks at Brazil’s upcoming election — a crucial vote with major implications for the country and the wider region.

In this episode, Sonja and Isabel discuss the impact of Colombia’s recent earthquake and examine negotiations held earlier this month between Venezuela’s U.S.-backed government and the opposition.

In the second half, LatAm Dialogue presents a collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme exploring the state of democracy in Latin America, with a particular focus on the impact of organized crime.

UNDP report: https://www.undp.org/latin-america/democracy-and-development-report-2026

In this episode, Isabel and Sonja unpack Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's announcement that the country will no longer hold elections, exploring why the move came as little surprise to those following the country's democratic decline. They also speak with Latin America expert Christopher Sabatini about the resurgence of right-wing politics across the region and what it means for Latin America's changing political landscape.

This episode unpacks Colombia's crucial election, examines the growing unrest in Bolivia, and reflects on the devastating earthquake in Venezuela. It then dives into the political, cultural, and economic forces shaping the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with a particular focus on Mexico's role as a host nation.

This episode explains Peru’s recent high-stakes elections, the signing of a major EU-Mercosur trade deal, and takes a deep dive into Cuba’s ongoing energy crisis, which has made daily life on the island increasingly difficult.

This episode focuses on Latin America's mining industry and the opportunities but also the negative consequences it has brought the region. Sonja Rijnen, LatAm Dialogue's editor-in-chief, interviews Tom Gatehouse, author of soon-to-be-published book 'The Heart of Our Earth: Community resistance to mining in Latin America'.

In this episode of LatAm Dialogues, we focus on the situation for human rights defenders in Latin America where it has become increasingly dangerous to protect human rights. We are lucky enough to have the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor as our guest. She also founded the NGO Front Line Defenders and is a global expert on this topic. 

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent war have dominated headlines around the world in recent weeks. In this episode, LatAm Dialogue's team looks into Latin America's historical relationship with Russia with the help of Andre Pagliarini, a professor in Latin American history. We then discuss with Bryan, a political risk analyst from Cuba, what Latin America's immediate response to the invasion was as well as some likely repercussions that the events will have on the region.  

We are back with LatAm Dialogues season 2! To kick off this season, we have this in focus episode on LGBTQ+, and specifically transgender, rights in Latin America. First, we speak to Tom, who is writing his thesis on the transmasculine community in Cuba, about where the region is in terms of rights for LGBTQ+ individuals. We then had the pleasure of having Liam on the podcast, a Cuban LGBTQ+ activist and the writer, director and cinematographer of the award winning documentary Mi Alma Azul (https://vimeo.com/424896529 password: LiamyAnabel). He discusses what it is like to be a trans activist in Cuba and the work he has been doing to support the community, including his documentary. 

Episode notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qhmkTOUYPcRDhxEQTGTrBx4-k0GIlGoMUtQBRHb6Bak/edit?usp=sharing 

Towards the end of November 2021, both Chileans and Hondurans went to the polls to elect their new Presidents. In the first half of this episode, Isabel discusses these all-important elections in Chile with Carolina, a political activist living in Santiago. It is said that Chileans are more polarised than ever and this Sunday, the 19th of December, they will vote in the second round between two very different (or not so different depending on how you see it) candidates. After this, listen to Lucas interview Jalileh, a student from Honduras who explains who Xiomara Castro is and why her election is significant.