Latin America in Focus

Peru's President Keiko Fujimori wasted no time defining the two immediate priorities of her administration: Rising insecurity and an impending El Niño were top themes in her July 28 inauguration address. Three months into her presidency, Fujimori's pledge to tackle these issues has run into a major hurdle: Congress. 

In this episode, Peruvian political analyst Carlos Meléndez unpacks the new president's early challenges to negotiate with a polarized, newly bicameral legislature and overcome Peru's "underperforming state capacity" as she seeks quick progress on her agenda. In a conversation with AS/COA Online's Khalea Robertson, Meléndez also explains Fujimori's pragmatic approach to balancing closer U.S. cooperation with longstanding Chinese trade ties and the "unusual" 17-point drop in the leader's approval rating as she approaches the 100-day milestone of her presidency. 

This episode was produced by Associate Producer Khalea Robertson and Executive Producer Luisa Leme. Carin Zissis is your host. 
If you enjoyed this episode, write us a review and subscribe on your podcast platform of choice. Send us feedback: [email protected]   

The music in the podcast is "One Day at a Time” performed by Franco Pinna for Americas Society. Find out about upcoming concerts at musicoftheamericas.org. Share your love for Latin America: Join Americas Society.

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.

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In September, the government of President José Antonio Kast of Chile set off a firestorm back home when it opted to join the Shield of the Americas. But why would signing on to a security initiative, launched by the Trump administration, cause a domestic divide? After all, voters concerned about crime helped propel Kast into office earlier this year, much as mano dura security pledges have given rise to a wave of right-wing wins across the hemisphere.  

“Chile has a long tradition where foreign affairs are regularly treated as a national interest dynamic, so you normally seek consensus,” says Diego Sazo, head of international relations research at AthenaLab, a Santiago-based think tank focused on security and defense. In this episode, he talks with AS/COA’s Carin Zissis about what a hemispheric initiative like the Shield offers the Americas, how it’s broadened to include economic and political dimensions, why it’s been so contentious in Chile, and the initiative’s prospects to outlast swings in the electoral pendulums.  

This episode was produced by Executive Producer Luisa Leme and Associate Producer Khalea Robertson. Carin Zissis is your host. 

Mentioned in this episode:  

Diego Sazo’s paper exploring the Shield of the Americas. https://www.athenalab.org/en/noticias/2026/09/24/el-escudo-de-las-americas-y-los-limites-de-la-coordinacion-voluntaria-claves-de-la-adhesion-plena-de-chile/  

U.S. Undersecretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby’s piece on the Donroe Doctrine in Americas Quarterly. https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/elbridge-colby-on-the-opportunities-of-the-donroe-doctrine/  

If you enjoyed this episode, write us a review and subscribe on your podcast platform of choice. Send us feedback: [email protected]   

The music in the podcast is "Laberintitis" performed by Lester Paredes for Americas Society. Find out about upcoming concerts at musicoftheamericas.org. Share your love for Latin America: Join Americas Society. 

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.

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“In general, Brazilians are not very happy with this competition,” says pollster Felipe Nunes ahead of the October 4 presidential first round. With voters again facing a choice between Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on the left and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro on the right, the Quaest CEO talks to AS/COA’s Luisa Leme about how an increasingly informed electorate worries over recurrent pocketbook issues and a sweeping corruption crisis that has ensnared figures across the political spectrum.

The conversation covers Lula’s struggles to sell voters on affordability and Bolsonaro’s efforts to moderate the firebrand style of his father, jailed ex-President Jair Bolsonaro, as both candidates try win over independents without alienating their bases.

What will be the decisive factor in the race, per Nunes? Voter turnout. “If we see a 50-50 vote intention in the second round, what will make the difference is if you guarantee that your voters will be able to show up,” he said.

This episode was produced by Executive Producer Luisa Leme with support from Associate Producer Khalea Robertson. Carin Zissis is your host. 

Stay up to date with AS/COA Online’s ongoing coverage of Brazil’s 2026 elections, https://www.as-coa.org/content/guide-2026-brazilian-elections including our poll tracker that features Quaest surveys. https://www.as-coa.org/articles/poll-tracker-brazils-2026-presidential-election 

And listen to our previous episodes with Felipe Nunes on the key issues that drove the 2022 election and that year’s Lula–Bolsonaro runoff.

If you enjoyed this episode, write us a review and subscribe on your podcast platform of choice. Send us feedback: [email protected]  
The music in the podcast is Paulo Bellinati's "Baião de gude” performed by Newman Oltman Guitar Duo and João Luiz for Americas Society. Find out about upcoming concerts at musicoftheamericas.org. Share your love for Latin America: Join Americas Society.

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.

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A regional rightward tilt, tariff tensions, and a more muscular U.S. foreign policy: geopolitical dynamics in the Americas are witnessing tectonic shifts. As we kickstart a new season of Latin America in Focus, we’re delving deep into how these shifts are affecting U.S. and Latin American perceptions of themselves, each other, and the world around them, bringing together conversations with experts who are surveying views across the hemisphere. 

Ahead of November’s midterm elections in the United States, Pew Research Center’s Mark Hugo Lopez and Gabriel Piña talks with AS/COA Online’s Chase Harrison about why voter turnout among this fast-growing bloc will be decisive, with pocketbook issues top of mind and presidential approval rating slipping among Latino Trump voters. 

Then, host Carin Zissis speaks with U.S–Mexico Foundation Managing Director Enrique Perret about the economic and security concerns shaping U.S. voter views on Mexico, and why Americans are increasingly wary of U.S. tariffs on Mexican goods, saying: “We now have 19 months with tariffs, and I think people are saying, ‘That’s enough. You used the tool, but now it’s affecting the prices of goods in America—the price of construction, vehicles, food, everything.’” 

But Latin Americans are also shifting in their view of the world. International relations analyst Monica Hirst talks with AS/COA’s Luisa Leme about the AMLAT Radar, a survey of 10 Latin American countries supported by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, saying: “You don't have a perception in the region that there are hegemonic powers in place,” adding that the region’s citizens instead have “pragmatic,” multipolar perspectives on foreign policy in which the United States, China, and Europe each play distinct roles. 

This episode was produced by Executive Producer Luisa Leme and Associate Producer Khalea Robertson. Carin Zissis is your host.   

Read the surveys referenced in this episode:  

• Pew Center for Research on presidential approval ratings among U.S. Latinos and the relationship between party affiliation and ethnic self-identification;
• USMF quarterly surveys on U.S. voter attitudes towards the U.S.–Mexico relationship;
• The 2026 AMLAT Radar Survey.

If you enjoyed this episode, write us a review and subscribe on your podcast platform of choice. Send us feedback: [email protected]

The music in the podcast is “Me Gusta Soñar” performed by C4 Trío for Americas Society. Find out about upcoming concerts at musicoftheamericas.org. Share your love for Latin America: Join Americas Society.    

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.

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This episode is a re-run of Ep.228, of January 29, 2026. Latin America in Focus is going on a Summer break and it will be back in September with more episodes. Stay tuned!

Parsifal D’Sola Alvarado of the Andrés Bello Foundation for China and Latin America Research joined AS/COA Online’s Carin Zissis to talk about why this new era marks an end of what he calls “cheap ambiguity” for hemispheric countries figuring out how to juggle ties with the two great powers. He explains what we can glean from China’s reaction to U.S. moves in Venezuela; how countries such as Colombia, Argentina, and Mexico been adjusting their approach to Beijing; and why Latin America needs to get its own China strategy up and running.

Read D'Sola’s analysis on what the post-Maduro era means for Sino–Latin American ties: t.ly/l05Jh  

Access other episodes of Latin America in Focus at www.as-coa.org/podcast and send us feedback at [email protected]. Share and subscribe at Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.    

The music in the podcast was “Collector,” performed by Jorge Haro for Americas Society. Find out about upcoming concerts at musicoftheamericas.org. Share your love for Latin America: Join Americas Society. https://www.as-coa.org/membership Becoming a member gives you preferential access to music performances, art exhibitions, book events, our magazine Americas Quarterly, and more.

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.

Follow us on social media:
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The double earthquakes of June 24 accentuated a year of profound change in Venezuela. What was already a significant undertaking by the interim government in collaboration with the U.S. administration to address years of economic mismanagement and infrastructural deterioration, has become even more urgent in the face of a tragedy that has claimed thousands of lives and livelihoods while causing economic damages of up to $37 billion, per early estimates.

But, as the world rallies in support of Venezuela, can this disaster present an opportunity to attract the resources needed to accelerate the country’s long-term reconstruction? In this episode of Latin America in Focus, AS/COA’s Luisa Leme talks to representatives from two organizations that have been responding to Venezuela’s humanitarian and financial challenges for years: the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and CAF – The Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Rafael Velasquez Garcia, who leads the IRC’s emergency response in Venezuela, explains the earthquakes add another 1.4 million people in need of humanitarian attention to the almost 8 million whom aid organizations had identified before June 24. Combined with rebuilding thousands of structures and repairing the water and power supply, it’s a financing challenge CAF’s Ángel Cárdenas Sosa says multilateral development banks are working around the clock to meet and which will require the support of the public and private sectors.

This episode was produced by Associate Producer Khalea Robertson. Luisa Leme is the podcast’s executive producer and this week’s host. 

See information on how to donate to CAF’s Recovery and Reconstruction Fund: https://www.caf.com/en/specials/recovery-and-reconstruction-fund-for-venezuela/ and how to support the IRC’s work in Venezuela: https://www.rescue.org/article/how-help-survivors-earthquakes-venezuela

For more details on the earthquakes, the response from U.S. and regional governments, and other organizations you can support, read AS/COA Online’s coverage: https://www.as-coa.org/articles/venezuelas-twin-earthquakes-what-happened-relief-efforts-and-how-help

If you enjoyed this episode, write us a review and subscribe on your podcast platform of choice. Send us feedback: [email protected]   

The music in the podcast is “Norwegian Wood” performed by the C4 Trio for Americas Society. Find out about upcoming concerts at musicoftheamericas.org. Share your love for Latin America: Join Americas Society.

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.

Follow us on social media:
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On her fourth attempt, Keiko Fujimori is set to finally become Peru’s president. The right-wing former congresswoman will enter the presidential palace having bested her opponent, leftist lawmaker Roberto Sánchez, with just 50.1 percent of valid votes in the June 7 second round.

“Our country is very divided,” says guest Alfredo Thorne, a former Peruvian finance minister, of the country’s third consecutive razor-thin runoff. But he also has optimism for the future his country’s liberal democracy after a decade of high presidential turnover. As Thorne tells AS/COA’s Carin Zissis in this episode of Latin America in Focus, Peru’s Congress will have a Senate for the first time in 30 years and the fact that Fujimori will need to reach across the aisle “means that the true embryo of democracy is in that Congress.”

On the trade front, the former World Bank senior economist predicts that Fujimori’s administration is unlikely to break from Beijing even as it seeks to “keep fluid relations with Washington.” As for the crucially steadying role of Peru’s Central Bank, Thorne remains confident in its institutional strength, even with the potential departure of its revered chief, Julio Velarde.

This episode was produced by Executive Producer Luisa Leme and Associate Producer Khalea Robertson. Carin Zissis is your host.  

See AS/COA Online’s ongoing coverage of Peru’s 2026 election: https://www.as-coa.org/articles/peru-elects-2026-ongoing-coverage-presidential-race And bookmark our election guide to keep up with all the key races this year in Latin America: https://www.as-coa.org/2026

Plus, read more of Alfredo Thorne’s analysis on Peru’s politics and economy in Americas Quarterly: https://americasquarterly.org/aq-author/alfredo-e-thorne/

If you enjoyed this episode, write us a review and subscribe on your podcast platform of choice. Send us feedback: [email protected]  

The music in the podcast are "Inti Raymi" by Curi Cachimuel and “Tempestad” performed by Las Tipas for Americas Society. Find out about upcoming concerts at musicoftheamericas.org. Share your love for Latin America: Join Americas Society.

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.

Follow us on social media:
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The Colombian electorate sent a clear message with the two candidates they sent to the June 21 presidential runoff: they are no longer interested in politics as usual. With far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella and leftist Senator Iván Cepeda concentrating 85 percent of the first-round vote, the country’s traditional center and center-right parties have receded to the background.

“[Colombia’s] political and ideological spectrum is now wider than it was before,” says Dr. Sandra Borda, a Bogotá-based professor at the Universidad de los Andes, adding that the country’s relatively new left-right divide has brought it closer to polarized political contexts more familiar to the rest of the region. 

In this episode of Latin America in Focus, the prominent political commentator talks to AS/COA’s Carin Zissis about the influence of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, ex-President Álvaro Uribe, and U.S. President Donald Trump on the current and future political discourse. And with voters focused on security and economic issues, Dr. Borda analyzes the choice between de la Espriella’s mano dura and Cepeda’s promises to carry on Petro’s leftist agenda.

This episode was produced by Executive Producer Luisa Leme and Associate Producer Khalea Robertson. Carin Zissis is your host. 
If you enjoyed this episode, write us a review and subscribe on your podcast platform of choice. Send us feedback: [email protected]

The music in the podcast is “Dame la Mano Juancho” performed by Shangó Dely for Americas Society. Find out about upcoming concerts at musicoftheamericas.org. Share your love for Latin America: Join Americas Society.

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.

Follow us on social media:
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From Mexico’s Cuba ties to Washington's persistent tariff pledges, points of friction keep coming up between Mexico and the United States, reaching a crescendo last month when the U.S. Department of Justice indicted 10 Mexican officials, including a sitting governor from President Claudia Sheinbaum’s own party.

"U.S.-Mexican relations are probably in their worst moment that I can remember since the 1970s,” the former Foreign Minister of Mexico Jorge Castañeda tells AS/COA's Carin Zissis. “Never were there so many fronts open at the same time."

In this episode, Dr. Castañeda, a long-time Latin America expert and author of more than 15 books on foreign affairs, breaks down not only what's at stake for bilateral ties, but covers Mexico's relationship with Cuba and the U.S. policy approach to the island.

This episode was produced by Executive Producer Luisa Leme. Carin Zissis is your host.

If you enjoyed this episode, write us a review and subscribe on your podcast platform of choice. Send us feedback: [email protected]

The music in the podcast is “Candombe Jam 1,” by Carlos Quintana, performed for Americas Society. Find out about upcoming concerts at musicoftheamericas.org. Share your love for Latin America: Join Americas Society. https://www.as-coa.org/memberships/engage-americas-society

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.

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After months of tensions, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and U.S. President Donald Trump emerged from a May meeting at the White House smiling for the cameras. The leaders, both facing critical elections, sought to project international strength during delicate domestic moments, as they tackled a bilateral trade and security agenda.

“We need to be very careful in interpreting the meeting,” Fernanda Magnotta of the Brazilian Center for International Relations told AS/COA Online’s Luisa Leme, “The differences in agendas and interests between the two governments are structural, and they are there, and they are going to be there.” In this episode, Magnotta breaks down how Washington’s interest in securing the South American country’s rare earths as an alternative to Chinese dependency could facilitate Brasília’s push to resolve trade disputes while avoiding FTO designations on criminal groups operating in Brazilian territory.

“The word that for me defines the meeting and the future of this relationship is sobriety,” said Magnotta, explaining the road forward for bilateral economic ties.

This episode was produced by Executive Producer Luisa Leme and Associate Producer Khalea Robertson. Carin Zissis is the host.

Share and subscribe at Apple, Spotify,YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Access other episodes of Latin America in Focus and send us feedback at [email protected]. 

For more of Dr. Magnotta’s analysis on this topic, check out her articles in Americas Quarterly on the Trump-Lula relationship https://americasquarterly.org/article/trump-and-lula-think-differently-will-they-find-common-ground/ and the U.S. interest in Brazil’s rare earths. https://americasquarterly.org/article/can-brazil-and-the-u-s-reach-a-deal-on-rare-earths/

The music in the podcast is “Galopada,” by Itiberê Zwarg, performed for Americas Society. Find out about upcoming concerts at musicoftheamericas.org. Share your love for Latin America: Join Americas Society. https://www.as-coa.org/memberships/engage-americas-society

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.  

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.

Follow us on social media:
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