Latin America Today
190 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 22 ratingsNews and analysis of politics, security, development and U.S. policy in Latin America and the Caribbean, from the Washington Office on Latin America.
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Episodes
Flooding the Zone: the "Bukele Model,” Security and Democracy in El Salvador
March 08, 2024 10:43 - 57 minutes - 53.4 MBEl Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele just won re-election by a broad margin as a massive security crackdown has reduced gangs’ role in everyday life. But the increasingly authoritarian “Bukele model” has a big long-term downside, Douglas Farah explains. --- It has been almost a month since Nayib Bukele was reelected as President of El Salvador by a very wide margin, despite a constitutional prohibition on re-election. While security gains and a constant communications blitz have made Buk...
Violence in Ecuador: Getting Beyond Stopgap Solutions
February 20, 2024 17:40 - 1 hour - 58.1 MBA January outbreak of criminal violence in Ecuador made headlines worldwide. Now, a new government is cracking down in ways that recall other countries' "mano dura" policies, and the U.S. government stands ready to help. Is this the right way forward? While this isn’t the first time Ecuador’s government has declared a state of exception, the prominence of organized crime and the consequential rise in insecurity is a new reality for the country. Ecuador has seen a six-fold homicide rate...
A New Chapter in Guatemala's Anti-Corruption Struggle
February 08, 2024 22:15 - 55 minutes - 50.9 MBAfter relentless attempts to block his inauguration and a nine-hour delay, Bernardo Arévalo, who ran for Guatemala’s presidency on an anti-corruption platform, was sworn into office minutes after midnight on January 14. In this highly educational episode, WOLA Director for Central America Ana María Méndez Dardón is joined by WOLA Senior Fellow Jo-Marie Burt. Both were in Guatemala witnessing the high-tension event that was Arévalo’s inauguration. They cover the frustration, excitement, and...
Understanding Regional Migration in an Election Year
January 23, 2024 15:12 - 53 minutes - 49.6 MBAs congressional negotiations place asylum and other legal protection pathways at risk, and as we approach a 2024 election year with migration becoming a higher priority for voters in the United States, we found it important to discuss the current moment's complexities. WOLA’s vice president for Programs, Maureen Meyer, former director for WOLA’s Mexico Program and co-founder of WOLA’s migration and border work, is joined by Mexico Program Director Stephanie Brewer, whose work on defense o...
Taking Stock After a Tumultuous Year in the Americas: A Conversation with Carolina Jiménez Sandoval
December 18, 2023 22:57 - 50 minutes - 46.2 MBA conversation with WOLA's President, Carolina Jiménez Sandoval, about the year ahead. She discusses current challenges in the Americas within four areas that are orienting WOLA's current work: democracy, migration, climate, and gender and racial justice.
Planning, Unity, and Discipline: the Keys to Non-Violent Social Change in the Americas
October 05, 2023 22:46 - 1 hour - 90.6 MBMaria Belén Garrido, a research lecturer at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, and Jeffrey Pugh, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston, lead the Regional Institute for the Study and Practice of Strategic Nonviolent Action in the Americas. The institute provides training, capacity building, and networking opportunities for nonviolent social change activists in Latin America. It teaches that the success of non-violent strategies depends on the crucial ...
Mexico: “Demilitarization is not going to happen from one day to the next. But there needs to be that commitment”
September 15, 2023 10:27 - 1 hour - 92.1 MBA new report from WOLA dives deeply into the growing power and roles of Mexico’s military, and what that means for human rights, democracy, and U.S.-Mexico relations. WOLA’s Mexico Program published Militarized Transformation: Human Rights and Democratic Controls in a Context of Increasing Militarization in Mexico on September 6. The report voices alarm about the Mexican armed forces’ growing list of civilian tasks, and civilians’ diminishing ability to hold military personnel accountable...
Venezuela: “The way out of this situation has to be through a democratic and peaceful solution”
September 07, 2023 10:21 - 49 minutes - 68.8 MBVenezuela is to hold presidential elections sometime in 2024. Whether they will be at least somewhat free and fair, moving the country away from authoritarianism and toward democracy, is unlikely but far from impossible. It is a goal that must guide the international community and Venezuelan civil society. That is one of the central messages of Laura Cristina Dib, WOLA’s director for Venezuela, who explains the daunting current political situation in this podcast conversation. The episod...
Advocacy for Migrants at a Challenging Time: The View from Mexico
August 30, 2023 16:44 - 47 minutes - 66.3 MBGretchen Kuhner directs the Mexico City-based Institute for Women in Migration (IMUMI). She explains the challenges and complexities—and occasional advocacy successes—of the current moment of record migration and changing policies, viewed from Mexico.
Good Governance Needs Good Data: the Central America Monitor Looks Ahead
July 26, 2023 15:49 - 51 minutes - 35.4 MBJoining WOLA with partners in three countries, the Central America Monitor has tracked governance indicators during a very difficult nine years. WOLA's Elizabeth Kennedy and Lisette Vásquez of the Myrna Mack Foundation explain this important work.
Fentanyl: "What sounds tough isn't necessarily a serious policy"
May 30, 2023 16:43 - 55 minutes - 51.3 MBFrom a traditional drug policy perspective, fentanyl would appear to be an intractable problem. It also threatens a rift in the U.S.-Mexico relationship. WOLA's John Walsh and Stephanie Brewer point to better ways to respond to this challenge.
“We can’t deter our way out of this”: a view from the Honduras-Nicaragua border
May 01, 2023 17:09 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MBWOLA staff report from Honduras after a visit to the border with Nicaragua, where we witnessed a historic migration flow. As government and service providers struggle to manage this result of a series of policy failures, it's not clear what lies ahead.
"The days of hoping for a magical solution are long gone": Geoff Ramsey on Venezuela
April 10, 2023 12:00 - 47 minutes - 43.4 MBA conversation about the political and humanitarian moment in Venezuela, efforts to resolve the country's crisis, and the U.S. role, with Geoff Ramsey, who recently departed WOLA's Venezuela Program and is now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.
Guatemala: An Eroding Democracy Approaches New Elections
March 03, 2023 20:40 - 48 minutes - 38.7 MBGuatemala's deteriorating democracy is approaching June elections with disqualified candidates, imprisoned or exiled judicial workers and journalists, and a U.S. policy that's hard to pin down. Analysis from WOLA Central America Program Director Ana María Méndez and Council on Foreign Relations Latin America Fellow Will Freeman.
Peru's Turmoil and "the Danger of a Much Deeper Crisis"
December 20, 2022 17:02 - 45 minutes - 36.3 MBDecember 2022 in Peru has seen a president's failed attempt to dissolve Congress and subsequent jailing, and now large-scale protests met with a military crackdown. Senior Fellow Jo-Marie Burt explains what's at stake in a deeply divided nation.
Unprotected at the U.S.-Mexico Border: Reporting Back from Texas and Arizona
December 06, 2022 18:50 - 54 minutes - 37.6 MBWOLA staff spent a mid-November week visiting several points along the U.S.-Mexico border. We spoke to many migrants stranded in Mexico, in shelters and in rustic camps, unable to seek protection in the United States. What will happen if and when Title 42 ends?
Mexico Sends in the Troops: Stephanie Brewer on the Militarization of Public Security
September 19, 2022 13:49 - 46 minutes - 32.2 MBMexico has been increasing its armed forces' role in public security for many years, but the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador has just taken it to historic new lengths. WOLA's Mexico Program director, Stephanie Brewer, explains.
“What happens with the Petro government could become a model for engaging with the region”
July 11, 2022 04:13 - 52 minutes - 81.1 MBWOLA's director for the Andes, Gimena Sánchez, was in Colombia during the historic June 19 election that sent Gustavo Petro and Francia Márquez to the presidency and vice-presidency. We discuss this victory's significance and the big challenges ahead.
Migration and the Summit of the Americas
June 21, 2022 16:32 - 51 minutes - 55.4 MBAdam, Stephanie Brewer, Maureen Meyer, and Lesly Tejada discuss regional migration and the Summit of the Americas, which took place Los Angeles earlier in June. The four analyze the political implications of the Summit and their recent travel to the border areas.
"We believe there are multiple armed conflicts": Kyle Johnson on security in Colombia
January 19, 2022 20:59 - 1 hour - 45.7 MBRecent violence in the northeastern region of Arauca shows the complicated, fragmented nature of Colombia's armed conflict—or "conflicts," as security analyst Kyle Johnson calls it in this clear, nuanced explanation of security challenges in early 2022.
Is Mexico Prepared to be a Country of Refuge?
December 07, 2021 20:44 - 58 minutes - 40.8 MBMore than 120,000 migrants have applied for protection in Mexico in 2021. We discuss Mexico’s difficult transition to being a country of refuge with Gretchen Kuhner of IMUMI, Daniel Berlin of Asylum Access Mexico, and Maureen Meyer and Stephanie Brewer of WOLA.
Colombia's peace accord at five years
November 22, 2021 19:04 - 48 minutes - 33.3 MBColombia's government and largest guerrilla group signed a historic peace accord on November 24, 2016. Five years later, is it being implemented? Not enough. WOLA Director for the Andes Gimena Sánchez walks us through what is going well and what is not.
Missing in Brooks County: A tragic outcome of U.S. border and migration policy
September 27, 2021 21:45 - 1 hour - 45.9 MBLisa Molomot and Jeff Bemiss have produced a new documentary, "Missing in Brooks County," about thousands of migrants dying in ranchland surrounding a south Texas Border Patrol checkpoint. They are joined by Texas State U. anthropologist Kate Spradley.
A Conversation with WOLA's New President, Carolina Jiménez Sandoval
September 20, 2021 16:14 - 47 minutes - 33.4 MBAs of September 1, WOLA has new president. Carolina Jiménez has an impressive biography—and here, we talk about her work, how civil society has evolved throughout Latin America, the threat of authoritarianism, opportunities in US policy, and her next steps.
For Disappearances to End, Justice Must Begin: Justice for Disappeared Mexicans
September 13, 2021 12:57 - 46 minutes - 32.5 MBIn this conversation, Adam and Stephanie discuss how Mexico's disappearance crisis grew to today's tragic scale, what has worked and has not worked for investigations into disappearances in the country, and some of the major findings of the WOLA's campaign on the issue. Please visit the campaign's website to see the in-depth findings and learn what you can do to support victims and family members of the disappeared in Mexico.
A Goodbye to WOLA President Geoff Thale
September 03, 2021 23:36 - 40 minutes - 28.5 MBGeoff Thale, WOLA’s president, has retired after 40 years as an advocate for human rights in Latin America. When Geoff’s career began, the idea of citizens working full-time to change foreign policy was unheard of. Geoff reflects on how much has changed.
Addressing Cuba's Unseen Humanitarian Disaster
August 06, 2021 12:57 - 40 minutes - 28.4 MBLast month's protests in Cuba captured international attention for the large groups that took to the street to express frustration with the island's current conditions. This week's podcast discusses the protests triggers, the island's ongoing humanitarian disaster, and what, if anything, the Biden administration can do to help the Cuban people.
Colombia After the Paro Nacional: A Report Back From Cali
July 20, 2021 16:20 - 48 minutes - 33.9 MBLisa Haugaard, director of the Latin America Working Group, is just back from accompanying a human rights delegation to Cali, Colombia, an epicenter of April-June protests. She conveys what witnesses told her about police brutality and new civic energy.
A New Wave of Political Unrest in Haiti
July 13, 2021 21:26 - 49 minutes - 34.4 MBFor those closely following Haiti, the recent assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and the chaos and political uncertainty following it have been years in the making, in a country tragically familiar with political and humanitarian crises.
It's Time to Listen to the People of Haiti
July 13, 2021 21:26 - 34.4 MBFor those closely following Haiti, the recent assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and the chaos and political uncertainty following it have been years in the making, in a country tragically familiar with political and humanitarian crises.
Aligning Policy with Reality at the U.S.-Mexico Border
July 09, 2021 21:23 - 56 minutes - 39.1 MBFormer WOLA Director Joy Olson just carried out dozens of interviews along the Texas-Mexico border. She came back saddened by expelled migrants' suffering, perplexed by the Biden administration's halting measures, and calling for bold policy changes.
Nicaragua's Exit from Democracy
July 01, 2021 19:50 - 46 minutes - 32.7 MBThe condition of Nicaragua's democracy has steadily deteriorated over the course of President Daniel Ortega's regime. Recently, in anticipation of the country's coming elections, President Ortega and his wife/Vice President Rosario Murillo have arrested more than a dozen of their significant political opponents under a new law that labels them as "traitors to the homeland." To understand the current political crisis, and to understand what, if any, prospects there are for a solution, Adam ...
What's at Stake in Peru's Coming Elections
June 03, 2021 15:36 - 53 minutes - 36.6 MBPeruvians vote on June 6 in a runoff between two presidential candidates who represent populist extremes, and who reflect growing divisions exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. WOLA Senior Fellow Jo-Marie Burt explains the tense pre-election moment.
A Snapshot of Human Rights and Democracy in Brazil
May 25, 2021 17:34 - 49 minutes - 34.4 MBBrazil is the second largest country in the hemisphere but its many complex issues rarely make news in the U.S. This week, Camila Asano, Director of Programs at the Brazilian human rights NGO Conectas joins Adam and Moses to paint a picture of attacks on human rights and democracy there.
Understanding Colombia's Latest Wave of Social Protest
May 13, 2021 14:30 - 41 minutes - 28.5 MBProtests that began April 28 in Colombia are maintaining momentum and a broad base, despite a heavy-handed government response. Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli, WOLA's director for the Andes, sees a movement coalescing—and a need for a more decisive U.S. approach.
The Complexity of Engaging with Central America
April 28, 2021 18:34 - 42 minutes - 29 MBTop Biden administration officials, including Vice-President Kamala Harris, are developing a new approach to Central America. The theme is familiar: addressing migration's "root causes." WOLA President Geoff Thale and Citizen Security Director Adriana Beltrán discuss.
The Border Situation Viewed from Mexico
April 15, 2021 16:27 - 46 minutes - 32.1 MBThe Biden administration is asking Mexico to do more to limit or stop arrivals of asylum-seeking migrants from Central America and elsewhere. Several WOLA experts discuss Mexico's military deployments, expulsions of families, and the view from El Paso.
"People coming from the Western Hemisphere have been perceived as inherently not refugees"
April 01, 2021 20:55 - 57 minutes - 39.2 MBYael Shacher, senior U.S. advocate at Refugees International, is a historian of U.S. asylum policy. She offers an invaluable perspective on the current increase in asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border, and how the system should work.
COMING SOON: Rebuilding Peace in Colombia
March 02, 2021 21:07 - 2 minutes - 2.78 MBThis series from the Washington Office on Latin America will share the stories of social leaders in Colombia who, every day, under threat to their lives, search for truth and work toward reconciliation, fight for justice for victims of the Colombian conflict, and ensure the government lives up to the guarantees it made to ethnic and rural communities in the historic 2016 peace accord. Social leaders often face off with a Colombian government that refuses to admit its failures, and they stand...
A Critical Moment for El Salvador's Democracy
February 19, 2021 22:45 - 1 hour - 45.9 MBEl Salvador's popular but authoritarian-leaning president, Nayib Bukele, may enjoy a congressional supermajority after February 28 elections. Mauricio Silva and José Luis Sanz discuss the many implications for Salvadoran democracy and U.S. policy.
Mexico: the meaning of the Cienfuegos case
January 22, 2021 16:46 - 42 minutes - 29.3 MBWOLA's Director for Mexico and Migrant Rights, Stephanie Brewer, walks us through the late 2020 arrest and release of Mexico's last defense secretary, and what Mexico's handling of the case tells us about the military's power and U.S.-Mexican relations.
The Transition: Authoritarianism, Populism, and Closing Civic Space
December 11, 2020 13:17 - 43 minutes - 30.1 MBPopulist and authoritarian leaders have made important gains in Latin America, and the U.S. government has been inconsistent in its dealings with them, and in its support for civil society. WOLA's Geoff Thale and Geoff Ramsey outline a better way forward.
When your neighbor is a murderer: Sean Mattison on "escrache" in Argentina
December 04, 2020 14:59 - 33 minutes - 23.3 MBThe New York Times recently ran a short film by Sean Mattison about how victims of Argentina's 1976-83 dictatorship creatively called out the ex-military killers and torturers who, benefiting from an amnesty, were living in their midst.
The Transition: The future of Latin America's anti-corruption fight
December 01, 2020 18:58 - 46 minutes - 32.1 MBCorruption is "endemic: a system, a network, a web of relations" that underlies many other problems in Latin America. Adriana Beltrán and Moses Ngong discuss how the US and other international actors can support the region's anti-corruption reformers.
The Transition: A Rational, Region-Wide Approach to Migration
November 23, 2020 21:27 - 39 minutes - 26.8 MBThe U.S. government is transitioning between two different visions of migration, while human mobility increases throughout Latin America. Adam Isacson and Maureen Meyer discuss what a humane and effective policy would entail, at home and region-wide.
The Transition: U.S. Credibility, Cooperation, and a Changed Tone
November 16, 2020 19:25 - 35 minutes - 24.4 MBThe presidential transition means a shift between two very different visions of US relations with Latin America. A group of WOLA staff takes stock of the Trump years' impact on US credibility in the region, and challenges facing the Biden administration.
Peru Abruptly Removes Its President
November 12, 2020 22:30 - 42 minutes - 29.2 MBPeru's Congress abruptly removed President Martín Viscarra from office this week. It looks like another example of an all-too-familiar recent pattern in Latin America: backlash against anti-corruption reforms. WOLA Senior Fellow Jo-Marie Burt explains.
Beyond the Wall: “It’s all about the families”, Eddie Canales on preventing deaths and identifying missing migrants in Texas borderlands
October 30, 2020 16:09 - 48 minutes - 58.2 MBA discussion with Eduardo “Eddie” Canales, founder and director of the South Texas Human Rights Center in Falfurrias, Texas. Website: https://southtexashumanrights.org/ Falfurrias is in Brooks County, an area of ranchland 80 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. It is also one of the deadliest places for migrants. Dozens each year get lost while trying to walk around checkpoints that Border Patrol has placed on highways, and end up dying of dehydration and exposure in the south ...
Peru: "If we do not succeed against this plague, then anything can happen"
September 25, 2020 21:02 - 55 minutes - 38.2 MBEven as it has been hit very hard by COVID-19, Peru has just gone through an “express impeachment” and other corruption turmoil, while elections approach. We discuss Peru with IDL Reporteros journalist Gustavo Gorriti and Senior Fellow Jo-Marie Burt.
Beyond the Wall: Reflections from a Former Border Patrol Agent
August 19, 2020 19:55 - 58 minutes - 56.3 MBThis month, Adam Isacson, WOLA's Director for Defense Oversight, interviews Francisco Cantú, author of The Line Becomes a River (2018) who spent four years in the Border Patrol. They discuss the often toxic culture of CBP and the current impact the agency has on the United States' approach to migration. Cantú currently lives in Arizona, is a full-time writer and teacher of creative writing, and that a volunteer with the Kino Border Initiative’s migrant accompaniment program, which provide...