Read more about the article Northern Triangle: The Origins of America’s Migrant Crisis

Northern Triangle: The Origins of America’s Migrant Crisis

Great Decisions examines the Western Hemisphere's migration crisis and the fractured societies at the heart of it: Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. ------------------------------- The Foreign Policy Association produced a series of documentaries called Great Decisions 2020 to be broadcast on TV by the PBS (Public Broadcasting System) and followed by community group discussions all over the US. The pandemic has been forcing the cancellation of huge numbers of Great Decisions groups all over the country, so they decided to go ahead and put all of this season’s episodes on YouTube for free. Here’s the episode about U.S. Relations with the Northern Triangle where I was asked to issue my opinion about challenges and opportunities created by agriculture modernization in the region.

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Read more about the article Competing for Influence: China in Latin America

Competing for Influence: China in Latin America

Until recently, China had little interest in Latin America. Now, its investment is transforming the region. Great Decisions investigates this new alignment and the prospect of direct competition with the United States. ----------------- The Foreign Policy Association produced a series of documentaries called Great Decisions 2020 to be broadcast on TV by PBS (Public Broadcasting System) and followed by community group discussions all over the US. I participated in 2 episodes. The pandemic has been forcing the cancellation of huge numbers of Great Decisions groups all over the country, so they decided to go ahead and put all of this season’s episodes on YouTube for free. Here’s the China/Latin America episode 

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Read more about the article How Coronavirus Poses New Risks to Latin America’s Sputtering Economies
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JANUARY 31 : Passengers are seen wearing masks at Galeao International Airport in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on January 31, 2020 following Coronavirus outbreak. The new coronavirus epidemic has killed 106 people and infected more than 4,500 in China and 56 more confirmed cases in at least 18 countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). (Photo by Fabio Teixeira/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

How Coronavirus Poses New Risks to Latin America’s Sputtering Economies

China’s economy has come to a sudden stop. Outside of China, the impact of the slowdown has already been felt, with companies like Apple and Land Rover warning of lower production, as parts for their products simply fail to arrive on time. For Latin America, which counts China as its largest trade partner overall, the risks are also piling up. Here we approach four main channels through which the shock to China’s economy may be felt in Latin America.

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Read more about the article Aljazeera – How unpaid corporate taxes led to violent protests in Ecuador

Aljazeera – How unpaid corporate taxes led to violent protests in Ecuador

Otaviano Canuto, a senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South who has also held roles at the IMF and the World Bank, tells Al Jazeera that the scrapping of fuel subsidies had differentiated impacts on the social structure in Ecuador. "Cutting the fuel subsidies, paradoxically, while in some other countries it might benefit particularly the poor, because as long as it is accompanied by compensatory social policies, the fact is that the major beneficiaries very often are the middle classes who use cars, who benefit from the oil subsidies and so on," Canuto says.

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Read more about the article The IMF, Argentina and Ecuador: Have Lessons Been Learned?
People receive a free meal from a soup kitchen in front of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) offices in Buenos Aires, on October 31, 2019, during the first social protest since Argentina's president-elect Alberto Fernandez won the South American country's presidential election. - The return to power of protectionist Peronists comes amid a lengthy recession and a debt crunch, raising market fears of a possible default on a $57 billion IMF loan. Fernandez has insisted his government would not default but rather seek to renegotiate the terms of the IMF loan, and sought to reassure voters that their bank deposits would be safe under his administration. (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP) (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

The IMF, Argentina and Ecuador: Have Lessons Been Learned?

One major difficulty faced by the IMF, or whoever designs macroeconomic adjustment policies in the current Latin American context, is the difficulty involved in reading appropriately – and responsibly – a country’s political dynamics and how people will react to austerity policies. Even if the IMF could hire Machiavelli as an adviser, its ability to take political tea leaves into account would not improve. As for avoiding risks entirely, that would only happen if the IMF fundamentally changes its mission – and stops lending to troubled countries entirely.

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Read more about the article The Essential presents: Argentina, A Story of Divergence

The Essential presents: Argentina, A Story of Divergence

A panel discussion in Washington DC on the present and future of Argentina's politics and economy. Guest panelists include Otaviano Canuto (Center for Macroeconomics and Development, Policy Center for the New South, and Brookings), Rafael Mathus Ruíz (DC correspondent for Argentina's La Nación newspaper) and Arturo Porzecanski (economist and professor at American University). Hosted by journalist Adrian Bono.

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Read more about the article The Sectors Chinese Investors Are Eyeing In Latin America

The Sectors Chinese Investors Are Eyeing In Latin America

Chinese FDI in LatAm has grown strongly, expanding from almost nothing in 2005 to an estimated US$110 billion or more in 2018, amid a shift away from simply pumping resources into infrastructure, governments and state firms, Brazilian economist Otaviano Canuto wrote in an article for the Americas Quarterly.

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Read more about the article How Chinese Investment in Latin America Is Changing
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA - NOVEMBER 30: President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping looks on during the plenary session on the opening day of Argentina G20 Leaders' Summit 2018 at Costa Salguero on November 30, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Photo by Amilcar Orfali/Getty Images)

How Chinese Investment in Latin America Is Changing

  Americas Quarterly - March 12, 2019 China's push for Latin American consumers reflects changes back home. Chinese financing in Latin America is changing. After becoming a major source of…

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