The Americas Quarterly Podcast
The AQ Podcast is a conversation on politics and economics in Latin America hosted by Brian Winter, contributing editor for Americas Quarterly
Episodes
200 episodes
Trump Wades into Brazil’s Campaign (Again)
Nearly a year after slapping Brazil with a 50% tariff in what looked like a bid to help the Bolsonaro family, the U.S.-Brazil relationship has had several ups and downs: Trump dropped most of the tariffs and, about a month ago, he welcomed Pres...
The Mexico-U.S. Relationship’s Most Delicate Phase
Ever since Donald Trump took office, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum has tried to strike a careful balance: Working with Washington on security matters while maintaining sovereignty and domestic support. She sent 10,000 troops to the north...
Colombia’s High-Stakes Election
Colombia goes to the polls on May 31 amid some of the worst violence the country has seen in two decades. FARC dissidents have carried out dozens of attacks in recent weeks, prompting an appeal for peace from Pope Leo XIV. In a way, the campaig...
The Gray Tide: What a Rapidly Aging Latin America Means
As recently as the 1960s, the average woman in Latin America had six children. Today that number is 1.8. In Chile, it has fallen to 1.1, lower than Japan. Combined with rising life expectancy, the result is a region aging faster than any other ...
Peru Election: The End of Stability?
For years, Peru has defied gravity. The country has had eight presidents in ten years—a virtual power vacuum at the top of government—and yet the economy kept growing, the currency held strong, and the mining sector kept producing. That decoupl...
Javier Milei’s Ups and Downs
Until recently, things seemed to be going well for Argentina's President Javier Milei. In October, his party won the midterm elections in a contest many polls predicted would swing the other way. Since then, he passed an important labor reform,...
Understanding Delcy Rodríguez
Nearly three months after the fall of Nicolás Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez is still standing as interim president of Venezuela. The broad feeling, at least for now, is that Rodríguez and the chavista regime are not going anywhere. Since she took off...
Brazil, Colombia and a Regional Case for Optimism
After seven years covering Latin America for the Financial Times, and a previous post in the 1990s, Michael Stott is leaving the region as an optimist. His argument: that Latin America's strengths have been systematically underappreciated, and ...
Cuba on the Brink
For 67 years, many people have been waiting for change in Cuba — and for 67 years, the communist regime has endured. It survived the fall of the Soviet Union, the death of Fidel Castro, economic sanctions, and political pressure from 13 differe...
Rodrigo Paz’s Overhaul of Bolivia
When Rodrigo Paz was inaugurated in early November 2025, he vowed to implement “capitalism for all.” He inherited an economy in rough shape after 20 years of rule by the MAS party: Inflation was above 20%, foreign currency reserves were nearly ...
A Defining Moment for Latin America
Latin America has been at the center of the world’s attention in 2026—and not only because of Venezuela. This week, we take a step back to understand the current moment and its implications for the region’s long-term outlook, from the U.S. mili...
A Realistic Look at Venezuelan Oil
The fate of Venezuela hinges on the country’s once-proud energy sector. Since Maduro’s capture two weeks ago, questions about how the industry could be recovered have become critically important: What’s the real state of the Venezuelan oil indu...
After Maduro: Risks in Venezuela and Beyond
The capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela was one of the most dramatic developments in U.S.-Latin America relations in more than 30 years. In Venezuela, a country that has suffered for more than a decade from repression, economic depression an...
Risks and Strengths of Latin America’s Economies in 2026
Despite trade tensions and political uncertainty, 2025 was not a bad year for Latin America's economies, with growth of around 2.4 percent, broadly in line with post-pandemic trends. In this episode we look ahead to 2026 and analyze the outlook...
What the Trump Doctrine Means for Latin America
2025 has been an extraordinarily active year for U.S. policy in Latin America. With the release of President Donald Trump’s new National Security Strategy, which places the Western Hemisphere first and promises to “reassert and enforce the Monr...
A New Rightward Wave in Latin America?
Right-wing candidates are gaining victories across Latin America. Chile will likely turn right in the upcoming second round of elections, Javier Milei made legislative gains in Argentina and in Bolivia recent elections ended 20 years of Movimie...
A Right Turn in Chile?
Chileans head to the polls this Sunday, November 16. In the last election cycle, Gabriel Boric won following the massive 2019 protests that shook the nation to its core. At the time, it seemed Chile was set for sweeping structural change: the c...
Understanding Trump’s Military Buildup in Latin America
The recent deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the U.S. Navy’s largest aircraft carrier, has intensified speculation about Washington’s true objectives in the Southern Caribbean. In this episode of the Americas Quarterly Podcast, we examine w...
Claudia Sheinbaum's First Year
Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum has hit the one-year mark of her presidency. In that time she has had to balance three key relationships: with President Donald Trump, with her still-powerful predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador and with the Mexic...
Argentina: A Potential Lifeline for Javier Milei
Argentina’s President Javier Milei just got a much-needed boost from his ally, U.S. President Donald Trump. The White House has signaled plans for a $20 billion swap line to contribute to Argentina’s fragile reserves—a lifeline coming just as M...
How Crime Is Affecting Latin American Politics
Latin America is entering a packed election season, with Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru and Brazil all set to elect presidents in the next 13 months. This is happening just as organized crime reaches unprecedented power. In several ...
Brazil: Bolsonaro's Trial
A landmark trial is underway in Brazil: former President Jair Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, stands accused of trying to overturn the 2022 election. Alongside military officials and ex-ministers, Bolsonaro faces charges that...
Bolivia’s Game-Changing Election
Bolivia's long-dominant MAS party has suffered a historic defeat, with its presidential candidate winning just 3% of the vote. The result reflects deep frustration over the country’s economic crisis and political infighting. In a surprise outco...
Resilience Amid Chaos: An Overview of LatAm Economies in 2025
In this special mid-year episode, we take a step back for a look at where the region’s economies stand, and the picture is better than many expected. We evaluate the impact of Trump’s new tariffs, the short- and medium-term prospects for Mexico...