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.

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.

AQ Podcast | A Defining Moment for Latin America
< 1 minute read

An overview of what recent events mean for the region’s political and economic outlook.

What Venezuela’s Hydrocarbon Reform Won’t Fix

5 minute read

Updating the nation’s oil law is a necessary starting point, but its impact will most likely fade quickly, an expert writes.

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.

Mexico

Washington’s Sharpening Stance on Mexico
5 minute read

As the U.S. reclassifies Mexican cartels as a national security threat, pressure on Mexico is intensifying—and the margin for miscalculation is narrowing.

2026 Trends to Watch

Latin America and the Caribbean: A 2026 Snapshot
2 minute read

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

Long View

Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos (left) and Timoleón Jiménez, known as “Timochenko” (right), the FARC’s leader, shake hands in Cartagena in 2016 before the Peace Accord was finalized. Cuba’s President Raúl Castro (center) accompanied them.
The Unfulfilled Promises of Colombia’s Peace Process
7 minute read

Why the 2016 deal has fallen short of expectations and what it says about the country today.

Brazil

Agrosmart founders Thales Nicoleti, Mariana Vasconcelos and Raphael Pizzi
The Next Generation of Agtech in Brazil
6 minute read

Brazilian tech startup Agrosmart seeks to reshape Latin America’s agriculture.

AQ Q&A

Q&A: How Chile’s Democratic Institutions Hold Strong
2 minute read

Colombina Schaeffer, the director of Fundación Ciudadanía Inteligente, a regional NGO, explains Chile’s civic strength.

Visual Art

Left: Headdress by the Boe people of the Brazilian Amazon, on view at the Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac. Right: Pablo Amaringo, "El baile de los Puca-bufeos," 2009, on view at Americas Society.
Two Museum Exhibitions Reframe Amazon Civilizations
4 minute read

In Paris and New York, curators present a new kaleidoscope of art from a critical region.

Cultura

Cristina Rivera Garza speaks in Berlin in 2025.
Visions of the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands
3 minute read

Family history, politics, and ecology remake one another in the new book “Autobiography of Cotton.”

Cultura

"La paga" depicts the life of an impoverished peasant.
A Lost Cinema Classic Reappears
3 minute read

Ciro Durán’s first feature film “La paga” shows the celebrated Colombian director in a new light.

Cultura

Students in Guerrero state protest in Mexico City, in 2014, to pressure authorities to solve the disappearance of 43 vanished Ayotzinapa students that same year.
Latin America’s Unfinished Revolutions
3 minute read

Alma Guillermoprieto’s reportage in “The Years of Blood” embodies the drama and complexity of our new century.

CULTURA

Exploring Bad Bunny’s Oeuvre
3 minute read

AQ’s music columnist examines the artist’s body of work ahead of his Super Bowl performance.

Venezuela

This view shows a gas station in Maracaibo, Venezuela on January 7, 2026. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in January 7, Washington will control sales of Venezuelan oil "indefinitely," a day after President Donald Trump announced Venezuela's interim leaders had agreed to US-managed marketing of 30-50 million barrels of crude.
How U.S. Companies May Return to Venezuela and Be Compliant
4 minute read

Washington has three ways to provide sanctions relief to the country and PDVSA. The cases of Syria, Sudan, and Iraq serve as historical references.

Venezuela

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, then-Vice President Delcy Rodríguez and Russian Ambassador Sergey Mélik-Bagdasárov appear at an event in Caracas in May 2025.
Washington’s Path to Displacing Rivals in Post-Maduro Venezuela
5 minute read

With Maduro removed, the U.S. faces the difficult task of limiting the influence of China, Russia and Iran without triggering instability.

Colombia

Colombian President Gustavo Petro at Plaza de Bolivar in Bogota, Colombia, Jan. 7, 2026.
Maduro’s Fall May Shape Colombia’s Election
4 minute read

Volatile relationships with Washington and Caracas are crucial wild cards in the upcoming presidential race.

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