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: SERGIO LIMA/AFP via Getty Images
Brazil’s Misaligned Censorship Policy Risks Cutting Off Free Speech to Spite Disinformation
CSIS Americas deputy director and senior fellow Christopher Hernandez-Roy and Michael McKenna outline challenges when it comes to the regulation of online speech in the Americas, and the corrosive effects of censorship on democracy.
Commentary by Christopher Hernandez-Roy and Michael McKenna — May 25, 2023
Featured Event
Political Prisoners and the Future of Nicaragua
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A Hesitant Hemisphere: How Latin America Has Been Shaped by the War in Ukraine
Commentary by Ryan C. Berg , Christopher Hernandez-Roy , Juliana Rubio , Rubi Bledsoe , and Henry Ziemer — February 27, 2023
A Mexico Moment— if you Can Keep it!
Podcast Episode by Mariana Campero — February 23, 2023

Energizing a Semiconductor Boom in the Americas
Podcast Episode by Ryan C. Berg — February 23, 2023

Turning up the Heat on Geothermal Energy in Latin America
Event by Ryan C. Berg , Katsura Miyazaki , Mynor José Gil Arevalo , Manabu Sugioka , and Vicentina Cruz — February 21, 2023
Mexico's Domestic Decay: Implications for the United States and Europe
Report by Lauri Tähtinen — February 14, 2023
The Final Blow: Uncertainty of the Venezuelan Transition from the Interim Presidency
Commentary by Jose Ignacio Hernández — February 13, 2023
A Good Week for Authoritarians in the Americas
Commentary by Christopher Hernandez-Roy — February 10, 2023
Turning Up the Heat on Geothermal Energy in Latin America
Podcast Episode by Ryan C. Berg — February 9, 2023

Why Is CABEI Funding Nicaragua’s Dictatorship and What Can the United States Do about It?
Critical Questions by Ryan C. Berg — February 6, 2023
Colombia’s Security Challenges, the Government Response, and the Future of U.S.-Colombia Relations
Report by Evan Ellis — February 2, 2023