Members Only What is the Future of U.S. Policy in Latin America?
Aside from a “big, beautiful wall” and so-called “bad hombres,” references to the southern border and illegal immigration, the U.S. campaign season has largely neglected […] More
Latest Latin America Briefs
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Members Only In Praise of Benign Neglect
The Obama administration has been criticized for a policy of undue passiveness around the world, including in Latin America. It may be a stretch to […] More
Members Only Priorities for the Next U.S. Administration
Since the turn of the century, perhaps earlier, there has been a consistent distancing between the U.S. and Latin America. Today it is difficult, perhaps […] More
Members Only In Venezuela, Dialogue Is Not an Olive Branch
Across Venezuela, opposition supporters protested Wednesday in reaction to President Nicolas Maduro shutting down the option of a recall referendum against him. On October 20, […] More
Members Only Great Power Politics in Latin America
Latin America is challenging the status quo. Rather than be seen as one more area for competition between the United States and China – two […] More
Members Only China's Fall 2016 Latin America Charm Offensive
In recent months, the People’s Republic of China has successfully faced and largely overcome a significant crisis in its relationships with Latin America, even while […] More
Members Only A Good News Story for the U.S.
From Washington’s perspective, the majority of recent changes in government in Latin America have been welcome. The Cipher Brief asked Shannon O’Neil, the Nelson and […] More
Members Only There Will Never Be a Perfect Peace in Colombia
After the surprising results of the Colombian peace referendum on Sunday night, both the government of Colombia and the FARC must try again to reach […] More
Members Only Is Peace Possible in Colombia?
On Sunday, Colombians were called upon by their government to answer a simple question, “Do you support the final agreement to end the conflict and […] More
Members Only Back to Square One
Colombia’s pollsters, who are usually pretty accurate predictors of vote results, didn’t foresee this. Public opinion surveys showed a clear majority of voters in the […] More
Members Only The Stalking Horse
The unexpected vote in Colombia to reject the peace deal with the FARC has left the country in shock and its leaders scrambling to determine […] More
Members Only Venezuela's Military: Both a Stabilizing and Destabilizing Force
Tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators flooded Venezuela’s capital Caracas yesterday to protest President Nicolás Maduro after three years of recession, extreme inflation, and a […] More
Members Only Ties to the Bolivarian Revolution
Venezuelan opposition leaders and other anti-government protestors flooded to the capital Caracas yesterday to demand a recall referendum on President Nicolás Maduro sometime this year. […] More
Members Only Maduro Needs the Military
As demonstrators spread through Venezuela’s capital Caracas yesterday demanding a recall referendum of President Nicolás Maduro, the military, notably, did not suppress the demonstrations. The […] More
Members Only Brazil Post-Rousseff
Brazil’s Senate has voted 61-20 to remove President Dilma Rousseff from office, finding her guilty of manipulating the country’s budget. Rousseff’s Vice President Michel Temer, […] More
Members Only Next Steps in Brazil
The Olympic Games have come to an end – without a major hitch – and now Brazil must once again face its internal issues: a […] More
Members Only Brazil: Getting its House Back in Order Post Olympics
The Olympic Games have been a nice distraction for Brazil but will leave the country with nothing gained – the negatives balancing out the positives […] More
Members Only The Games Have Been a Distraction
With the Rio Olympics wrapping in just a few days, The Cipher Brief’s Kaitlin Lavinder spoke with Director of Research at the Rio-based Igarapé Institute, […] More
Members Only Prestige Over Policy
The Olympic Games are supposed to bring international prestige to host countries, if all goes well. But Rio 2016 is an example of a government […] More
Members Only Rio Olympic Games: A Missed Opportunity
The Rio Olympics – which kicks off tonight with the opening ceremony at the Maracanã Stadium – is a missed opportunity for Brazil to assert […] More
Members Only Low Expectations
The Olympic Games kick off today in Brazil – a country plagued by a political crisis and economic downturn. The Cipher Brief’s Kaitlin Lavinder spoke […] More
Members Only No Major Effect
The Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro – starting today – had the potential to boost Brazil’s international image. Director of the Wilson Center’s Brazil […] More
Members Only Threat of Terror Attack During Rio Games Low, But Rising
The threat level of an organized Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL) attack during the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – […] More
Members Only Food Shortages in Venezuela: Drawing the Line?
Shortages of basic food products in Venezuela are estimated at 80 percent, which means that 80 percent of these products are not available at a […] More