The Car Wash scandal triggered investigations that uncovered dirt on dozens of politicians and companies in Brazil and abroad. Brian Winter, editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly, compares Car Wash to other corruption scandals and updates us on a growing anti-corruption movement in Latin America. Sarah Baumunk lightens the mood by explaining how inflation affects every day life in Argentina.

As Venezuela endures an upcoming presidential election on May 20th, widely seen as illegitimate, the U.S. and other like-minded countries are considering further sanctions on the Maduro regime. In a joint production of the Financial Integrity Network and CSIS, Juan Zarate sits down with Moises Rendon, Jose Luis Stein, and David Murray to discuss the effectiveness of sanctions on Venezuela and the opportunities ahead.

The security situation in Mexico remains grim, and is a major theme of Mexico’s presidential campaign. David Shedd, former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, long time CIA professional, and Latin American expert, assesses the state of the drug war, the scope of US-Mexico security cooperation, and the future direction of Mexico’s war against the cartels. On Big Little News, Sarah explains how to steal over $1 million of fajitas, and in the process creates a new meme. 

How do entire economies become more innovative?  Jackson Streeter, an expert on technology transfer, maps the ecosystem of innovation. Strong intellectual property rights, investments in research and development, a risk-taking mentality, and seed funding are all necessary parts. Can they be nurtured and developed in Latin America? Sarah’s Big Little News is the rise of marriage fraud in Costa Rica.  

Almost all of the Western Hemisphere’s leaders recently ascended to the Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru.  What did they accomplish?  Ana Quintana, senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation, assesses the Summit’s output, especially on Venezuela. She comments on the participation of VP Pence instead of President Trump, and the Administration’s quirky relationship with Mexico, but declines Richard’s invitation to place a bet in the NAFTA casino. And TPP? Forget it.  

Mexico expert Shannon O’Neil of the Council on Foreign Relations gives her take on the Mexican economy, NAFTA, and President Enrique Peña Nieto’s faltering reforms. She also weighs in on the good cop, bad cop routine that constitutes the current state of the US-Mexico bilateral relationship, and finally, places her bets on the upcoming presidential elections.  In Big Little News, Sarah “Unbreakable” Baumunk exudes optimism in discussing Latin America’s falling homicide rates, due in part to a surprisingly simple tool.      
 

Will the Russians meddle in Latin American elections this year? Russia expert David Salvo, a fellow at the German Marshall Fund’s Alliance for Securing Democracy, talks about possible Russian motives. Is Putin attempting a head fake to distract from his own misdeeds? Are old KGB hands making mischief in the Americans’ backyard, just because?  Salvo argues that Russia’s efforts are more profound; to undermine the very concept of democracy itself. Newly empowered, ex-intern Sarah Baumunk explains Venezuela’s currency crisis in under two minutes.  

Guest: David Salvo

The abrupt end of the Tillerson era may signal changes for US policy towards Latin America.  Eric Farnsworth, Vice President of the Council of the Americas, explains the inner workings of the Trump Administration’s views on NAFTA, Venezuela, and the Mexican elections. He also ponders the question of China’s increasingly assertive role in the hemisphere, and whether Mike Pompeo will take a more strategic view of the region than the President. Sarah “Be Happy” Baumunk explains why Latin Americans are relatively happier than the rest of the world, according to the UN Happiness Index.  

Guest: Eric Farnsworth

With talk of tariffs and trade wars once again putting NAFTA in jeopardy, what lies ahead for Mexico-U.S. relations? Pamela Starr, a scholar at USC, gives her take on trade, the failure of the drug war in Mexico, and the prospect of a July 1 presidential win by leftist Andrés Manuel López Obrador. She also praises the U.S. foreign policy bureaucracy for keeping the relationship from imploding, despite dismal Mexican views of the U.S., mirrored by a hostile American president.     

Guests: Pamela Starr

Colombia’s upcoming presidential elections have two major issues: the peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and the impact of Venezuela’s crisis on Colombia, with which it shares a 1,300 mile border. On this week’s special “presidential” edition of 35 West, former President of Colombia Andres Pastrana walks Moises Rendon through the challenges ahead for the agreement’s implementation, and how Venezuela’s crisis is affecting Colombia on humanitarian and security grounds. 
 
Guest: Andres Pastrana