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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Evan Ellis
Margarita R. Seminario
Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith
Juliana Rubio
Henry Ziemer