The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Jan. 9 announced that it would not renew Temporary Protected Status for nearly 200,000 Salvadorans who have been allowed to stay in the United States since at least 2001, arguing that the conditions that caused Salvadorans to seek residency in the United States no longer exist. How many Salvadorans are expected to return home, and what steps can the government and civil society organizations take to accommodate an influx of nationals back inside its borders?
Negotiators from 11 countries on Jan. 23 reached an agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, trade deal. Which of the Western Hemisphere countries have the most to gain from the agreement?
Monica de Bolle, Arturo Sarukhan, Gregory J. Spak, Frank R. Samolis
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson concluded his five-country trip through Latin America and the Caribbean on Feb. 7, during which time he sought to shore up support for further U.S. sanctions against Venezuela’s oil sector and President Nicolás Maduro’s government, as well as to strengthen ties with allies in the region. Did the United States get what it wanted out of Tillerson’s trip?
What security issues are most pressing for border areas in Colombia and Brazil? How much assistance will the regional and national governments need to deal with the crisis, and what more can be done as Venezuela’s outlook worsens?
Maria Velez de Berliner, Geoff Ramsey, Francisco Márquez Lara
What issues are shaping Colombia’s presidential race ahead of the May 27 vote, and how have the top candidates gotten where they are today? What factors will decide the election’s outcome? Would any of the front-runners pursue radically different policies from the current administration of centrist President Juan Manuel Santos?
Maria Velez de Berliner, Alberto J. Bernal, Adam Isacson, Juan David Escobar Valencia
Colombian presidential candidate Iván Duque vowed to hold criminals accountable, crack down on corruption, and push through sweeping reforms at an event Thursday at the Inter-American Dialogue.
Will Pompeo receive smooth confirmation in the Senate? What does Pompeo’s rise to secretary of state mean for U.S. policy toward Latin America and the Caribbean? What will Trump accomplish on his trip to South America next month?
James R. Jones, Ray Walser, Riordan Roett, Raymond A. Joseph
To what can Alvarado Quesada, who came in behind Alvarado Muñoz in the first round, attribute his victory? What can Costa Ricans expect of his government, and how much will his policies differ from those of current President Luis Guillermo Solís? What will Alvarado Quesada’s government mean for businesses operating in Costa Rica and for the country’s economy?
Rogelio Douglas, Christine Wade, Bruce M. Wilson, Mitchell A. Seligson
Why has there been so much violence and carnage now in Nicaragua, which had enjoyed decades of relative calm? Will the Ortega family dynasty fall, and will authorities be held accountable for the deaths and repressive tactics that they are accused of by human rights activists? What will it take to appease protesters? Why has Nicaragua’s state-run pension system run out of money?
What is behind the slide in the Argentine peso, and what more can the central bank do to address the problem? Is Macri making the right move by seeking help from the IMF, or will he pay a political price at home for embracing the Washington-based lender? Is Argentina at risk of falling into a full-blown financial and economic crisis this year?
Thomas Morante, Barbara Efraim, Horacio Verbitsky, Marcelo O. de Jesús
While never a major source of power generation for most of Latin America and the Caribbean, the future of coal in the region is more complex than many people might expect.
