Politics, Business & Culture in the Americas

Our Current Issue

What History Tells Us About Trump’s “Big Stick”

AQ’s editor-in-chief dives into the archive of U.S.-Latin America relations, and emerges with four takeaways.

Venezuela’s Generational Democratic Opportunity

The viability of a political transition depends on credibility and the restoration of democracy.

Latin America and the Caribbean: A 2026 Snapshot

AQ tracks political and economic trends as well as key indicators to watch in 12 countries.

REACTION: How Trump’s 15% Tariff Move Impacts Latin America
5 minute read

The region remains well-positioned to face the new levies, experts say.

AQ Podcast | Rodrigo Paz’s Overhaul of Bolivia
< 1 minute read

Early policy changes on subsidies, foreign policy and investment mark a clear break from the MAS era.

“El Mencho”’s Death Will Test Mexico’s Meager State

4 minute read

The perennially under-resourced government may struggle to contain spiraling violence following the demise of a cartel leader.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s Democracy Faces a New Test, But It Will Endure
4 minute read

The election of Laura Fernández extends Costa Rica’s populist experiment. Its democracy will weather it, for now, two experts write.

Peru

Peru's President José María Balcázar stands in Congress for his inauguration in Lima on February 18.
Peru’s Political Instability Enters a New Chapter Under Balcázar
5 minute read

José María Balcázar is tasked with ensuring a smooth government transition on July 28, an expert writes.

Peru

LIMA, PERU - JANUARY 21: Peruâs interim president Jose Jeri arrives to hold a press conference at the Government Palace in Peru's Lima after appearing before the congressional Audit Commission, as he declined to give a clear response to media questions regarding alleged secret meetings with Chinese businessman Zhihua Yang on January 21, 2026. (Photo by John Reyes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
REACTION: Peru Removes Another President
5 minute read

The nation’s Congress voted to oust José Jerí, underscoring the instability that will shape the first round of general elections on April 12.

Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a press conference in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, on February 5.
Canada’s Alternative to Trump’s Doctrine for the Americas
4 minute read

A middle-power vision calls for a broader inter-American dialogue. Will it resonate with Latin American countries?

Colombia

Colombia's opposition frontrunner Abelardo de la Espriella at an event in Bogota in December 2025.Colombia's opposition frontrunner Abelardo de la Espriella at an event in Bogota in December 2025.
Colombia’s Bukele? Abelardo De La Espriella Surges Ahead
6 minute read

The right-wing frontrunner in Colombia’s election tells AQ he’s an “odd fish, but not a dangerous one,” and addresses questions about his past.

Antarctica

People take photos of an iceberg near the coast of Spert Island in Antarctica in December 2025.
South American Antarctica: The Final Frontier of Hemispheric Security 
3 minute read

The future of the “White Continent” might be in question as great powers reactivate their spheres of influence, an expert writes.

China

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Great Wall Motor CEO Mu Feng inaugurate an electric and hybrid vehicle plant in Iracemápolis, Brazil in August 2025.
China’s Green-Tech Push in Latin America Is Gaining Traction
4 minute read

A surge of investment in the region is set to intensify, even as the hemisphere turns rightward.

Bolivia

Bolivia's President Rodrigo Paz speaks during the Latin America and the Caribbean International Economic Forum in Panama City on Jan. 28
Rodrigo Paz’s Defiant First 90 Days
4 minute read

Against the odds, Bolivia’s president has eliminated fuel subsidies, weathered the fallout, and, for now, stabilized the economy.

Honduras

Honduras' President Nasry Asfura and his wife Lissette del Cid Fernández on Jan. 27, inauguration day, in Tegucigalpa
Honduras Begins Its Rightward Shift
4 minute read

President Nasry Asfura has legislative support for his austerity agenda, but the country’s deep divides and endemic corruption will be hard to overcome.

Mexico

Ricardo Salinas Pliego speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Argentina in Buenos Aires in 2024.
The Death (and Rebirth?) of the Mexican Right
4 minute read

New and unexpected figures are reshaping Mexico’s political opposition—and its ties with the U.S.

Haiti

A view from Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in Dec. 2025 as air transport in the capital was paralyzed due to the deteriorating security situation.
Haiti’s Political Crisis Deepens Amid a Slide Into Criminal Governance
5 minute read

Confrontation on the Transitional Presidential Council is not only about leadership, but about whether a future transition can reduce the influence of armed groups.

Trade

The Ecuador-Colombia Trade Spat Is a Zero-Sum Game
4 minute read

Both countries stand to lose as their economies take hits and criminal groups benefit from a breakdown in cooperation.

Chile

Chilean President-elect José Antonio Kast, during a ceremony to announce cabinet members in Santiago, Chile on Jan. 20
Kast’s Cabinet Set to Confront Distinctly Political Challenges
4 minute read

Chile’s president-elect has rolled out a pro-business cast of ministers, tasked with finding political solutions, an expert writes.

Guatemala

Guatemalan Army soldiers patrol a street of the Nueva Jerusalen neighborhood during the state of emergency declared by the government in Guatemala City on January 20, 2026. Guatemalan soldiers began patrolling gang-controlled neighborhoods in the capital on January 20, after attacks that left ten police officers dead and prompted the government to declare a state of siege, according to official sources and an AFP journalist. (Photo by JOHAN ORDONEZ / AFP via Getty Images)
Guatemala’s State of Emergency Will Test Its Democracy
4 minute read

President Arévalo is not channeling Bukele, but a compromised justice system makes this a dangerous moment that threatens lasting consequences.

Venezuela

El Palito refinery in Puerto Cabello, Carabobo state, Venezuela on Jan. 22
Without Institutional Change, Venezuela’s Oil Bonanza Remains Unviable
4 minute read

Sanctions relief, a democratic transition, and deep reforms are essential to recover production.

Sign up for our free newsletter