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An Unprecedented Migration Crisis: Characterizing and Analyzing its Depth

Manuel Orozco, Patrick Springer ˙ ˙ Voces

Photo of migrants in Panama Servicio Nacional de Migración de Panamá / Twitter
This piece offers a look at the current migration trends and points to large differences that characterize this situation as a crisis: the scale, composition, nature, and management of migration is outside conventional or historical patterns. Aspects of this unprecedented migration pattern are not within the control of government authorities and policy makers. The recent migration wave to the US border has been referred to as a crisis. Media references point to the drama of people arriving and passing through the Darien, Central America, and Mexico to characterize the problem. Others have pointed out the increasing arrivals into US cities in numbers that are hard to manage by local communities.Read more +

Biden’s First 100 Days and Latin America Policy

Michael Shifter ˙ ˙ Voces

Joe Biden Lisa Ferdinando
Given the huge demands on Washington  – domestic and international  – and today’s ravaged, fragmented, and leaderless region, this is probably not the right time for bold, ambitious initiatives. But the Biden administration should move quickly to renew partnerships with select countries, emphasizing recovery from Covid-19 and restoring economic and political stability.Read more +

Scowcroft and Colombia

Michael Shifter ˙ ˙ Voces

Brent Scowcroft Cherie Cullen / Wikimedia / Public Domain
Brent Scowcroft was truly one of the giants of the US foreign policy establishment. We admire his wisdom, prowess as a strategist, and humility as a person. Like few others, he understood the importance of building and sustaining US alliances and respectful relations. At the Dialogue, we are inspired by Scowcroft’s rich legacy.Read more +

Venezuela Can’t Confront Covid-19 Without a Political Truce. Will Washington Help?

Feliciano Reyna, Temir Porras, Verónica Zubillaga ˙ ˙ Voces

Maduro speaking in the Palacio Miraflores Credit: Gobierno Bolivariano de Venezuela
Perhaps hundreds of thousands of lives—inside Venezuela and across its borders—now depend on whether our leaders can put aside their battle for control, engage politically in good faith, and momentarily put the wellbeing of citizens first by taking the urgent steps needed to combat the virus crisis and its consequences.Read more +

Remaking US-Brazilian Relations: The Odyssey of Trump and Bolsonaro

Peter Hakim ˙ ˙ Voces

Palácio do Planalto / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
It is hard to imagine exactly what kind of deal Bolsonaro and Trump, both anomalous, unconventional leaders, drawn to one another mainly by temperament and ideology, could strike with another. Could they really end up accomplishing what previous governments in both countries had failed to achieve? Could they forge an alliance between two countries that have long maintained a rather distant and often distrustful relationship?Read more +

George HW Bush and Latin America: An Overlooked Legacy

Michael Shifter ˙ ˙ Voces

Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0
What the Bush administration showed is how crucial “style” is in diplomacy. Genuine and regular consultations are key to building trust and a sense of community. This is true generally, but especially so in Latin America, where the asymmetry with the United States is so pronounced and has strongly shaped inter-American relations, often with unhappy results.Read more +

The High Cost of Tampering with NAFTA

Peter Hakim ˙ ˙ Voces

Presidencia de la República Mexicana / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
After little more than a year of tension-filled talks, US and Mexican negotiators have reached a preliminary agreement that would largely preserve, in both concept and content, the original NAFTA. But for both Mexico and Canada, the uncertain and painful renegotiation of NAFTA comes with high costs beyond the expected economic losses. Resolving the NAFTA dispute will not repair the damage Trump has inflicted on US relations with both Mexico and Canada. Read more +

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