Americas Program

A leading source of ideas defining the future of national security, analyzing geopolitical trends, and addressing key political, economic, and social challenges facing the region

The Program was established with the clear, forward-looking mission to elevate the policy discussion on the Western Hemisphere. The program aims to influence through timely, practical, and insightful analysis and policy recommendations for partners in the United States and the region.

The Americas Program focuses on six thematic priorities:

  1. The authoritarian regimes in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba as well as democratic backsliding in other countries as a driver of regional instability.
  2. Economic development, strengthening supply chains, forging closer trade linkages between the United States and the region, and nearshoring critical industries.
  3. The long-term impact of China’s rise, the continued relevance of Russia and other extra-hemispheric powers, in a region shaped by strategic rivalry.
  4. Security, especially transnational criminal organizations and illicit economies, particularly in Mexico, the Northern Triangle, and Colombia.
  5. Governance challenges and their effects, including weak rule of law, endemic corruption, migration, inequality, and human rights violations.
  6. Civil-military relations and defense cooperation.

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Projects

Featured Analysis

Photo:SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Photo:SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

USMCA Review 2026

CSIS Americas experts evaluate key challenges and opportunities ahead of the 2026 joint review of the USMCA free trade agreement.

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Brief by Diego Marroquín Bitar, Christopher Hernandez-Roy, and Earl Anthony Wayne — August 18, 2025

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Featured Event

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35 West

Turning Up the Heat on Geothermal Energy in Latin America

In this episode, Ryan C. Berg sits down with Ximena Guardia Muguruza to discuss the landscape of geothermal energy projects in Latin America, with a close focus on Peru, where the industry remains in its very early stages. 

Podcast Episode by Ryan C. Berg — February 9, 2023

CSIS 35 West
35 West

The Oil from Ipanema

Returning guest Lisa Viscidi of the Inter-American Dialogue talks oil in Brazil, and what comes next.

Podcast Episode — August 15, 2019

CSIS 35 West

What to Expect from Dilma's Visit to Washington

The CSIS Americas Program and El País will host a live edition of Club de Prensa -- the premier forum on today's most urgent issues with leading experts from the Americas.

Event — June 29, 2015

Oil-poor and on the brink of default: Is change imminent in Venezuela?

On December 11, Bloomberg News reported that swaps traders are more certain than ever that Venezuela will default on its debt as falling oil prices add pressure to already-strained government finances and drive the country’s bond prices to a 16-year low.

Critical Questions by Carl Meacham — December 11, 2014

100 Days of President Bachelet

Join the CSIS Americas Program for a discussion with senior associate Robert Funk on President Bachelet's goals, expectations, and performance so far, shedding light on Bachelet's anticipated socioeconomic reforms and what they mean for Chile moving forward.

Event — May 27, 2014

Recommendations for a New Administration

Four years ago, U.S. energy policy in the Americas arose from a sense of energy scarcity.

Report by Stephen Johnson and Johanna Mendelson Forman and Michael Graybeal — February 7, 2013