Analysis

Turmoil in South America and the Impact on Energy Markets

2019 has been a tumultuous year for South America. In recent months, mass protests have swept across several countries, including major oil and gas producers Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia. Continued political and social turbulence will likely contribute to stagnant oil and gas production growth in these countries. Conversely, Brazil and Guyana are on track to become the region’s largest sources of supply growth.

Lisa Viscidi

Articles & Op-Eds ˙ ˙ Istituto Affari Internazionali

Editor’s Picks: Top Content from the Latin America Advisor 2019

Top selections from the Latin America Advisor’s editorial staff of issues covering especially important developments during 2019, a remarkable year for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Gene Kuleta, Anastasia Chacón González

Latin America Advisor ˙

Nemonte Nenquimo, the president of the Waorani Pastaza Organization (Conconawep) and a plaintiff in the lawsuit. . // File Photo: Amazon Frontlines.

Can Ecuador Reap Oil Benefits While Protecting its Land?

A Latin America Energy Advisor Q&A featuring experts’ viewpoints on the 2019 judicial win of the Waorani indigenous community against Ecuador.

Enrique Ortiz, Carlos Mazabanda, Mario Melo, Mario Flor

Energy Advisor ˙

Nearing the Tipping Point: Drivers of Deforestation in the Amazon Region

The largest tropical rainforest on the planet, the Amazon plays a critical role as a storehouse of carbon and mediator of the global water cycle and holds a greater share of the world’s known biodiversity than any other ecosystem. However, unchecked development is placing the Amazon under threat, pushing deforestation rates to near-record levels throughout the region.

Matt Piotrowski, Enrique Ortiz

Reports ˙

Video

A Conversation with Lenín Moreno

On April 16, the Inter-American Dialogue had the honor of hosting President Lenín Moreno of Ecuador during his visit to the United States. President Moreno provided insight into the steps his government is taking to resolve the countries fiscal deficit and his administration’s work with multilateral institutions, among other topics.

Pedro Garmendia

Event Summaries ˙

Video

La visita del presidente ecuatoriano Lenin Moreno a Washington

El presidente del Diálogo Interamericano, Michael Shifter concedió una entrevista al programa Poder Latino de NTN24 conducido por Emiliana Molina donde analizo la visita del presidente ecuatoriano Lenin Moreno a Washington y lo que se podía esperar de la misma.

Michael Shifter

Interviews ˙ ˙ NTN24

Ecuador Migration Trends

Intra-regional migration in the Americas has increased since the 1990s and doubled between 2000 and 2017.[1] Ecuador’s transformation in the last ten years from a traditionally migrant sending to a migrant host and transit nation further illustrates this growing pattern of intra-regional migration.

Nicole Ledesma

Articles & Op-Eds ˙

Ambassador Dialogues: Ecuador & the United States

On May 3, the Inter-American Dialogue hosted Ecuador’s Ambassador to the US, Francisco Carrión, and US Ambassador to Ecuador, Todd C. Chapman, for the first edition of Ambassador Dialogues.

Beryl Seiler

Event Summaries ˙

Video

Ecuador’s Surprising Transition

On February 12, the Inter-American Dialogue hosted César Montúfar for an open discussion, moderated by Michael Shifter, about Ecuador’s current political climate. Montúfar is an academic, former member of Congress, a prominent political analyst, and the primary accuser in a recent trial against former vice-president Jorge Glas.

Martín Rodriguez Nuñez

Event Summaries ˙

Presidencía de la República del Ecuador

Lenín Moreno’s High-Wire Act

Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno has maneuvered to break with his predecessor, Rafael Correa, and a legacy tinged with authoritarianism and corruption.

Michael Shifter, Ben Raderstorf

Articles & Op-Eds ˙ ˙ World Politics Review

Video

Congressional Testimony: Energy Opportunities in South America

Lisa Viscidi, Director of the Energy, Climate Change and Extractive Industries Program, testified before the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs on the subject of “Energy Opportunities in Latin America.”

Lisa Viscidi

Congressional Testimony ˙

US-Latin America Energy Investment

While the Trump administration’s “America first” policies are aimed primarily at giving higher priority to national security and economic growth for the United States, the White House’s approach will have impacts on energy relations with the rest of the hemisphere that should also be considered.

Lisa Viscidi, Rebecca O’Connor

Reports ˙

Oil and Commodities: The End of the “Age of Abundance”

Across Latin America, the sustained decline in global oil prices has had a profound impact on economic growth, political stability and the viability of resource nationalism – when governments assert more control over the nation’s natural resources.

Lisa Viscidi, Rebecca O’Connor

Reports ˙ ˙ Italian Institute for International Political Studies

Nationalization & Its Discontents: Low Oil Prices & Latin America

As global oil prices collapsed over the last two years, regional governments have started to lose their leverage in the energy industry. To attract international investors, they must offer increasingly favorable terms, which means ceding more of their own control.

Lisa Viscidi

Articles & Op-Eds ˙ ˙ Foreign Affairs