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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Audio Briefs

U.S.-Caribbean Relations: The Cost of Postponing the 2025 Summit of the Americas

An audio version of ⁠“U.S.-Caribbean Relations: The Cost of Postponing the 2025 Summit of the Americas⁠,” a new Commentary by CSIS’s Georges A. Fauriol and Mary Speck. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.

Podcast Episode by Georges A. Fauriol and Mary Speck — December 8, 2025

Audio Briefs
The Last Line of Defense

Are the United States and Venezuela on the Brink of War?

Seth Jones sits down with Juan Cruz, who served in the U.S. Intelligence Community and on the National Security Council as special assistant to the president and senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs, to discuss the U.S. military’s role in the Venezuela crisis and provide an inside look at Maduro’s armed forces.

Podcast Episode by Seth G. Jones and Juan Cruz — December 3, 2025

The Last Line of Defence

Mexico: A Pivotal State on the Global Stage

Mexico straddles between the Global North and Global South, leveraging deep integration with the United States while guarding its sovereignty. This chapter explores how history, inequality, and geopolitics shape Mexico’s quest for strategic autonomy on the global stage.

Brief by Ryan C. Berg, Rubi Bledsoe, and Michael Ferguson — December 2, 2025