ADVANCING CARIBBEAN DEVELOPMENT THROUGH WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT - Women and girls in the Caribbean face challenges that limit their access to sustainable livelihoods. Prominent amongst them are gender-based violence (GBV) and unequal economic opportunities. The prevalence of GBV in the Caribbean stan...

PULLING OFF AN ENERGY TRANSITION: A ROAD MAP FOR THE CARIBBEAN - The Caribbean’s energy transition is increasingly urgent. High energy prices combined with import dependence on petroleum products leaves the region without access to affordable and reliable energy. Building bankable energy projects...

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE TO VENEZUELA? - Venezuela finds itself at an inflection point. While the push for free and fair elections in Venezuela faces obstacles, the opposition remains engaged in negotiations with the government as it prepares for presidential primaries in Octobe...

PRESIDENT IRFAAN ALI ON GUYANA’S EMERGING ROLE AS A GLOBAL LEADER - Guyana is rapidly emerging as a regional and global leader. The country’s growing energy sector, track record of protecting its environment, and role in strengthening food security for the Caribbean have catapulted Guyana into sp...

WHERE HAVE THE BANKS GONE? CURBING FINANCIAL DE-RISKING IN THE CARIBBEAN - Financial inclusion is the backbone of economic development in the Caribbean. Access to international trade, finance, and remittances promotes economic stability and creates growth opportunities for governments and citizen...

A CONVERSATION WITH ALICIA BÁRCENA: MEXICO'S NEWLY APPOINTED SECRETARY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS - Celebrating over two centuries of robust bilateral ties, the US-Mexico partnership remains a pivotal cornerstone for North American and regional progress. Spearheading these efforts is Mexico’s newly confi...

VISIONS OF CHANGE: A CONVERSATION WITH DELSA SOLÓRZANO - Delsa Solórzano is a lawyer and politician who will represent her party, Encuentro Ciudadano, in Venezuela’s opposition primary elections on October 22. Solórzano founded Encuentro Ciudadano in 2018 in the hope of bringing a new perspective...

GUATEMALA'S CHOICE: WHAT'S AT STAKE AHEAD OF THE RUNOFF ELECTION? - On August 20, Guatemalans will return to the ballot box to decide who will lead northern Central America’s largest economy for the next four years. Following a surprising and often polarizing first round, whoever holds the presid...

As Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) navigate economic headwinds in a challenging fiscal context, the private sector’s role in driving growth and recovery is more important than ever. Multinational companies stand ready to support high-quality development in the region through employment, fin...

A CONVERSATION WITH DR. JARBAS BARBOSA, DIRECTOR OF THE PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION - After being the global epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic for much of 2020-2021, Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) has staged an impressive recovery on the back of successful vaccination campaigns, a renewe...

CLOSER TO HOME: BRINGING SUPPLY CHAINS BACK TO THE AMERICAS - Global supply chains have been severely tested by a myriad of shocks in the past three years, between pandemic-driven delays, rising transportation costs, and the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine. As companies grow increasingly wary o...

VOICES OF CHANGE: A CONVERSATION WITH MARIA CORINA MACHADO - Maria Corina Machado is a Venezuelan opposition politician and presidential candidate who will represent her party, Vente Venezuela, in Venezuela’s opposition primary elections on October 22. Maria Corina’s leadership and widespread sup...

IN THEIR WORDS: SPEAKING OUT AGAINST ARBITRARY DETENTION AND TORTURE IN VENEZUELA - Venezuela’s economic, humanitarian, and political crisis has taken a devastating toll on human rights. In 2021, Venezuela became the first country in the Americas to face a formal investigation by the prosecutor o...

VISIONS OF CHANGE: A CONVERSATION WITH HENRIQUE CAPRILES - Henrique Capriles is a lawyer, politician, and two-time presidential candidate who will represent his party, Primero Justicia, in Venezuela’s opposition primary elections on October 22. Capriles’ experience as a public official includes s...

2023: A PIVOTAL MOMENT TO CELEBRATE 200 YEARS OF US-CHILE RELATIONS - The US-Chile partnership has long been taken for granted. Having just celebrated 200 years of bilateral relations, strengthening the alliance with Chile is an important opportunity for the United States to reinforce its regiona...

OPEN FOR BUSINESS? INVESTING IN NORTHERN CENTRAL AMERICA - Nearly two years after the Call to Action for Northern Central America announcement, aggregate private sector commitments under this initiative total over $4.2 billion. In its next phase, Central America Forward aims to address broader ec...

A CONVERSATION WITH PRIME MINISTER OF THE BAHAMAS & CHAIR OF CARICOM PHILIP DAVIS - The Atlantic Council hosted an #ACFrontPage conversation with the Hon. Philip Davis, prime minister of The Bahamas and chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on the trajectory for US-Caribbean relations during...

A CONVERSATION WITH GENERAL LAURA J. RICHARDSON ON SECURITY ACROSS THE AMERICAS - As the National Defense Strategy notes, a stable Western hemisphere serves US national security imperatives. Yet, Latin America and the Caribbean—a region of global importance with longstanding historical, cultural,...

A CONVERSATION WITH MINISTER OF ECONOMY OF ARGENTINA SERGIO MASSA - In August 2022, Sergio Massa, then the Speaker of the House of Representatives, was sworn in as Argentina’s new Minister of Economy, a new Ministry which also includes the duties of the agriculture and production policies. He too...

COUNTERING GLOBAL TRENDS: BRAZILIAN DEMOCRACY AHEAD OF AND BEYOND UPCOMING ELECTIONS - Brazil – Latin America’s largest economy and the fourth largest democracy in the world – held elections for its next president, governors, Congress, and state-level assemblies. At an inflection point, this elec...

US-MEXICO BORDER: HOW CAN GREATER EFFICIENCIES ENHANCE ECONOMIC POTENTIAL? - The US-Mexico border – and efficient, but secure commercial and non-commercial traffic – brings economic opportunities to border communities but also nationwide. With supply chain reconfigurations, greater efficiencies a...

A CONVERSATION WITH H.E. IRFAAN ALI, PRESIDENT OF THE CO-OPERATIVE REPUBLIC OF GUYANA - Guyana’s economy was on track to grow by almost 60 percent in 2022, with oil reserves that rank the second highest in Latin America and the Caribbean. The country is at the forefront of leading new Caribbean C...

ALLIES: TWENTY-SEVEN BOLD IDEAS TO REIMAGINE THE US-COLOMBIA RELATIONSHIP - On June 19, 2022, the United States and Colombia celebrated two hundred years of bilateral relations. In the past two decades, the US-Colombia partnership has safeguarded key US interests in Latin America and the Caribbea...

AMBASSADORS SALAZAR & MOCTEZUMA ON US-MEXICO PRIORITIES: MIGRATION, ENERGY, SECURITY & BEYOND - Always important, strong US-Mexico ties are even more imperative as the world reels from the implications of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Our ties extend from cooperation on reducing unauthorized migrant f...