Five WOLA program directors talk about how COVID-19—and governments' response—are hitting Latin America. We discuss dangers to democracy, rights, economics, and marginalized people, focusing especially on Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Bolivia, and Brazil.

Abbey Steele of the University of Amsterdam is an expert on the dynamics of conflict and violence. She has worked extensively in Colombia, and in 2017 published a book about displacement and "political cleansing" based on fieldwork in the Urabá region.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy counsel at the American Immigration Council, walks us through how the asylum system is meant to work. He then explains how the Trump administration has steadily decimated the right to seek protection at the US-Mexico border.

The Center for Civilians in Conflict works to minimize harm done to civilians in armed conflicts. What should this work look like in Latin America, where traditionally defined armed conflicts are rare? Annie Shiel and Mike Lettieri of CIVIC explain.

WOLA's director for the Andes, Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli, explains what Colombia·s response to the coronavirus means for communities affected by its conflict. As a new WOLA urgent action documents, the situation for social leaders remains very serious.

Three experts with long experience in defense and security collaborated on a new paper for the Friedrich Ebert Foundation that takes stock of geopolitics, the crisis of democracy, and emerging threats and trends across the hemisphere.

In his latest book, "In Their Own Best Interest," Lars Schoultz of UNC Chapel Hill takes to task U.S. policymakers and advocates who seek to "uplift" Latin American nations, finding them to be part of a long tradition. This makes for a lively discussion.

This month, Mario Moreno, WOLA's VP for Communications. interviewed Joanna Williams, the Director of Education and Advocacy at the Kino Border Initiative. They discuss what is happening at the border, how shelters and service providers are adapting, and the repercussions of the virus and government actions on migrants and asylum seekers.

When you think about environmental destruction in the Amazon region, you usually think about illegal logging and cattle ranchers. But it turns out that at least the western part of the Amazon is sitting on a sea of oil, and companies are moving in.

Since 1997 John Otis has been reporting from Colombia, covering the Andes, currently for NPR and the Wall Street Journal. He talks here about what has changed during his tenure, the peace process, and some places and people who've left strong impressions.