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:
- The authoritarian regimes in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba as well as democratic backsliding in other countries as a driver of regional instability.
- Economic development, strengthening supply chains, forging closer trade linkages between the United States and the region, and nearshoring critical industries.
- 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.
- Security, especially transnational criminal organizations and illicit economies, particularly in Mexico, the Northern Triangle, and Colombia.
- Governance challenges and their effects, including weak rule of law, endemic corruption, migration, inequality, and human rights violations.
- Civil-military relations and defense cooperation.
Contact Information
- Henry Ziemer
- Program Coordinator and Research Assistant, Americas Program
- 202.775.3244
- HZiemer@csis.org
Featured Analysis

Photo: Oleg/Adobe Stock
Insulate, Curtail, Compete: Sketching a U.S. Grand Strategy in Latin America and the Caribbean
CSIS Americas director and senior fellow Ryan C. Berg outlines a three-pronged approach for a U.S. strategy to counter China's advances in the Western Hemisphere, focusing on insulation, curtailment, and competition.
Report by Ryan C. Berg — May 11, 2023
Featured Event
The Road to 2024 in Venezuela: A Conversation with María Corina Machado
All content by Americas Program
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More Than a Symbolic Encounter: Fernández-Biden at the White House
Commentary by Ariel González Levaggi — April 7, 2023
Best of 35 West: Taking Stock of International Criminal Court's Investigation into the Maduro Regime
Podcast Episode by Ryan C. Berg — April 6, 2023

U.S.-Mexico Relations: How to Get Serious about Fentanyl
Commentary by Kimberly Breier — April 5, 2023
The Venezuelan External Public Debt Crisis: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Commentary by Jose Ignacio Hernández — March 30, 2023
Taking Exception to States of Exception
Podcast Episode by Christopher Hernandez-Roy — March 23, 2023

Plan B and the Future of Democracy in Mexico
Event by Ryan C. Berg , Dr. Lorenzo Córdova Vianello , Deborah Ullmer , and Maximo Zaldivar — March 21, 2023
How to Stop the Increasingly Authoritarian Slide in Latin America
Commentary by Mark L. Schneider — March 16, 2023
Fentanyl: A Triangle of Sadness (U.S., Mexico, and China)
Podcast Episode by Mariana Campero — March 13, 2023

One Year Later, Latin America Continues to Hedge its Bets on Ukraine
Podcast Episode by Ryan C. Berg and Christopher Hernandez-Roy — March 10, 2023

Turning Up the Heat on Geothermal Energy Development in Latin America
Brief by Ryan C. Berg , Juliana Rubio , Alfonso Guzman , and Kathleen Cohen — March 10, 2023