35 West

Center for Strategic and International Studies

The CSIS Americas Program podcast looks at the politics and policies of the 35 countries in the Western Hemisphere. It especially focuses on U.S. engagement with the region, whether on trade, diplomacy, or security issues like drugs and terrorism. Guests include top policymakers from the U.S. and other countries.

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207 episodes
Updated July 23

Episodes207

Newest first

Nov 14, 2018 · 30 min
Welcome to My House
Gone are hopes for a swift congressional ratification of USMCA with the House returning to the Democrats in January. Is Canada worried, and if so, why? Christopher Sands of Johns Hopkins University is back to help us empathize with our northern neighbors
Nov 8, 2018 · 35 min
Troika of Punditry
The Axis of Evil is out, the Troika of Tyranny is in. Are Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba the prisms through which U.S. policy in Latin America can be seen? Pedro Burelli, a former director of Venezuela’s state oil company, Moises Rendon of CSIS, and host
Oct 26, 2018 · 31 min
Walk This Way
Over 1,300 miles remain for a caravan of 7,000 Honduran migrants headed to the U.S. by foot. How many will peel off in Mexico, and what happens if and when they reach the U.S. border in several months? Andrew Selee, president of the Migration Policy Inst
Oct 18, 2018 · 22 min
Code Breaker
Has incoming Mexican president López Obrador cracked the Trump code? So far, his non-confrontational stance with the U.S. has analysts predicting a more tranquil bilateral relationship than expected. Mexico expert Pamela Starr from the University of Sout
Oct 9, 2018 · 19 min
Brazil’s Turn
Voters in Brazil joined the trend of upending expectations by giving Jair Bolsonaro 46% in the first round of the presidential elections. Is this jolt part of the global antiestablishment movement, or is it uniquely Brazilian? Gabrielle Trebat, a former
Oct 4, 2018 · 20 min
Louisiana Purchase
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) talks about his recent trip to Guatemala and Mexico, and discusses U.S. efforts to help fight corruption, strengthen borders, and to go after narcotics traffickers. The real hope, he believes, is in strengthening the regional
Sep 20, 2018 · 23 min
How Bad is Venezuela’s exodus?
Once South America’s richest country has now collapsed. About 2.5 million Venezuelans have fled their country in the last few years, putting unprecedented pressure on overwhelmed neighbors like Colombia and Brazil. Francisco Santos, Colombian Ambassador
Sep 13, 2018 · 29 min
Blame Canada
Has everything gone wrong since Trump came along? Regardless of whether Canada stays, walks or sprints away from a NAFTA deal, the experience has forced Canada to look at its entire relationship with the U.S. Christopher Sands of SAIS is back to talk abo
Aug 31, 2018 · 21 min
Auto Destruct
How will the enhanced “rule of origin” content requirements affect the North American automotive industry, especially in Mexico? Dr. Luz Maria de la Mora, a former Mexican trade negotiator, explains what Mexico got and what it gave up on autos, dispute r
Aug 27, 2018 · 30 min
Venezuela Adds More Money and Loses More People
Venezuela is currently experiencing 44 million percent (not a typo) annual inflation. Apart from forcing everyone to do more math, what is the Maduro regime doing about it? Unfortunately, nothing that matters, according to Professor Ricardo Hausmann from
Aug 20, 2018 · 28 min
Coming Clean in Argentina
Crisis, scandal, and politics in Argentina. Does bad news for Cristina Kirchner equal good times for Mauricio Macri? Benjamin Gedan of the Wilson Center argues that Argentina’s very own Car Wash scandal – complete with couriers carrying cash to the Kirch
Aug 16, 2018 · 31 min
AMLO v. AMLO
Will Andrés Manuel López Obrador the “leftwing firebrand” or the “realistic pragmatist” show up for work on December 1? Mexico expert Duncan Wood of the Wilson Center helps sort out Mexican president-elect AMLO’s mandate and governing philosophy, and p
Aug 6, 2018 · 29 min
Continental Divide: What’s Up With NAFTA?
Once again, a NAFTA deal may be close – or not. Tossing in tariffs, our experts Scott Miller and Chris Sands return to tell us why the Mexicans are up, the Canadians are down, and why farmers and car manufacturers are out of luck. Do we have a deal or n
Aug 2, 2018 · 33 min
North American Work Out
What kind of workers does the North American economy need, and how will it get them? Former U.S. diplomat Anthony Wayne points out the “alarming skills gap,” in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, the rapid technological changes, and the need for the educatio
Jul 26, 2018 · 19 min
The God That Failed – Again
Nicaragua joins – again – the list of imploding socialist states in Latin America. Daniel Ortega is using increasingly brutal tactics, including paramilitary death squads, to put down protests led in part by the Catholic Church. Mark Schneider, former Pe
Jul 19, 2018 · 27 min
Blockchain Can Help Venezuela
How low can Venezuela go? We’ve been predicting its collapse for a year, but it’s still around. Moises Rendon, our resident Venezuela expert, updates us on the misery resulting from the Maduro government’s policies, and explains how blockchain technolo
Jul 12, 2018 · 26 min
AMLO Wins Big
Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s big victory in Mexico may mean changes for the U.S. Shannon O’Neil of the Council on Foreign relations returns to assess AMLO’s top priorities, his initial post-election signals, and the prospect of good relations with Presi
Jun 28, 2018 · 36 min
Apprehensive at the Border
The former Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Alan Bersin, explains exactly how the Trump Administration policy of detaining migrants works. He and Richard discuss the steep decline over the last two decade in apprehensions on
Jun 21, 2018 · 35 min
Not Like a G7
President Trump got very mad at Prime Minister Trudeau at the recent G7 Summit in Canada. Christopher Sands of the School of Advanced International Studies explains how the blow up may affect Canadian politics and trade with the U.S. He also reveals what
Jun 14, 2018 · 21 min
Oil and Politics in Latin America
The top oil producing countries in Latin America are all having elections this year. How will political changes in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela affect their oil output, and does this matter for the United States? Most importantly, will a new go