Americas Program

The CSIS Americas Program was established in the spring of 2016 with the clear forward-looking mission to elevate the discussion of Western Hemisphere affairs to the strategic level. The program also launched the U.S.-Mexico Futures Initiative to emphasize the fundamental importance of the bilateral relationship between Mexico and the United States. New initiatives on Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, and the Caribbean are also being developed.

The Americas Program focuses on four key pillars:

• Latin American States in Transition
  The program focuses on the key political and economic transitions in the major economies in Latin America, including the policy evolutions in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia and Venezuela. This policy-relevant analysis looks at trends within these and other key states, and implications for the region.
• Trade and Investment
  The Americas Program recognizes international trade and investment as a key driver of economic growth and regional competitiveness. Our research and analysis has a special focus on North American trade relationships in key sectors, including the automotive, agriculture and aerospace sectors as well as North American energy futures. The program also analyzes other sub-regional trade blocs and alliances in Central and South America and the Caribbean, as well as developments in the Brazilian and Argentine agricultural sectors.
• Governance and Transparency
  The Americas Program conducts research and provides policy recommendations for the United States and its hemispheric partners to improve governance and accountability. The Program seeks to promote discussion and to help find concrete policy solutions to improve transparency and the rule of law in key countries in the region.
• Key Bilateral and Regional Relationships for the United States
  With winds of change in the region, the United States relations with the region and with key countries need to evolve to meet current and future challenges. The CSIS Americas Program provides objective, data-driven research to recommend policies and strategies.