Search Results for: Argentina

China has become a leading partner for Latin America, boosting trade, infrastructure and strategic influence, though it now faces increasing U.S. pushback.

As the world faces profound changes, understanding the long-term trajectory becomes crucial to addressing the economic, political and societal challenges.

Argentina’s elections reaffirmed President Javier Milei’s reform agenda. His free-market measures are delivering results – and offer lessons for Europe.

The government of Argentina can chalk up its first modest successes in improving a badly distorted economy. But the peso’s recent bad run against the dollar has signaled there are limitations to President Macri’s play it by ear, gradualist approach to reforms.

Just eight months into his tenure, Argentina’s new president Alberto Fernandez has been thrown a trio of challenges. In the coming months, he must deal with the public health crisis, revive a deeply damaged economy, and consolidate power in his own fractured coalition.

Under President Macri, Argentina has fallen into the economic crisis once again. Last month, Argentines elected a new president, Alberto Fernandez, with former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner as his running mate. To end the downward spiral, Fernandez will have to deftly navigate a political scene and economic challenges.

Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri is in a tight spot before the elections. His government presides over cuts to public spending to secure a lifeline deal with the IMF. Mr. Macri’s hopes for inducing growth by restoring Argentina to the good graces of the financial markets did not materialize. But not all is lost for the pro-market reformer.

President Milei has proposed that Argentina adopt the U.S. dollar to help cure its economic woes. Politics and his own fiscal policy currently stand in the way.

While many nations struggle under debt and flawed policies, Argentina’s recent reforms show that practical market solutions can deliver real economic recovery.

The upstart right-wing populist is the presidential frontrunner. He appeals to young, alienated voters weary of the Latin American nation’s chronic economic woes.

Successive politicians have exacerbated Argentina’s chronic economic woes. But a new ‘super minister,’ backed by fresh International Monetary Fund loans, pledges sound policies at last.

Argentina’s President Milei is battling stagflation with bold reforms but faces hurdles in maintaining disinflation and fiscal balance.

The shifting dynamics of American foreign policy will reverberate throughout South America following the presidential vote in November.

Washington is intensifying pressure on Caracas amid concerns of Sino-Russian dependence and its economic breakdown.

Argentina lost its once-impressive wealth due to decades of socialist-style government mismanagement. Its new president, a radical economist, could turn things around.

For over two decades, Europe and the South American bloc have been negotiating a free trade agreement. Despite obstacles, they may soon agree on ratification.

China has been ramping up cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean as part of its strategic goal to gain space supremacy.

More than 340 million Christians faced significant persecution in 2025, making the world’s largest faith its most hunted – yet the world barely blinks.

Latin America’s economies are facing a series of problems in 2019. Those, that failed to prepare for the current downturn in prices deal with a loss of revenues and foreign investment. Corruption and quality of life issues have presented other challenges, and the benefits of a recent trade deal with the EU are neither immediate nor assured.

Known in Latin America as a backwater haven for criminal enterprises and eccentric dictators, Paraguay began to turn around over the past decade. The country’s elite is taking steps to strengthen state institutions and improve the rule of law.

Instead of pushing for more free trade, some members of Mercosur are using it to protect their own industries. The rift may spell the end of the customs union.

Beijing has displaced the United States as the top trade partner throughout most of Latin America. The two powers will likely share regional dominance for the foreseeable future.

As President Morales gears up to run for an unconstitutional fourth term, Bolivian politics enter a pivotal year. The last member of Latin America’s “pink wave” of leftist governments that rose to power on the commodities boom of the early 2000s must now deal with slumping hydrocarbon revenues and disillusioned public.

Transnational crime in Latin America is growing across the region, posing a challenge to democracies.

In Latin America, a new electoral super cycle could dramatically change the continent’s political landscape and put authoritarianism back on the map. Several trends are emerging, most notably a departure from established parties.

Following economic downturns caused by Covid-19, the war in Ukraine is threatening to push the region into recession, challenging the skills and wisdom of politicians.

The citizens of middle-income Uruguay want living standards typical of more developed countries, and have elected Luis Lacalle Pou as their new president to achieve that goal. Radical politicians on both the right and the left could hamstring his government.

Restricting trade for the sake of fighting climate change risks having the opposite effect.

Just a few years ago, China was going all-in in Latin America, making huge investments in the region. Yet instability in Venezuela and a new government in Ecuador have exposed Beijing to greater risk. While China is still deepening ties, it has slowed down and changed tack, focusing only on investments that are a crucial strategic interest.

The rise of the middle class and the boom in information technology have made corruption less acceptable than it once was in Latin America. Nevertheless, graft remains a problem across the continent. Constitutional reforms could improve the situation, but Latin American countries are more likely to rely on new legislation.

Why does Latin America’s economic growth remain so sluggish? Economists have addressed the question with reams of analysis, but the answer is simple: low productivity. That, in turn, has been caused by government involvement that has stifled competition and innovation. 

Liberty is not lost overnight. It begins with citizens willingly signing away their rights.

Uruguay scores perfect tens on civil liberties and the electoral process in the World Bank’s rule of law index – matching Norway and New Zealand. The country’s internal stability is buttressed by an ambitious social welfare system.

Bolivia faces a confluence of political infighting, external pressures and the risk of economic collapse as the 2025 presidential election nears.

The Odebrecht scandal, which started off as the Petrobras scandal in Brazil, has sent ripple effects throughout Latin America. It has brought down some regimes and even landed powerful leaders in jail. Perhaps the most important result is voters’ distrust of the traditional political forces.

The Sao Paulo Forum, once a powerful left-wing Latin American political bloc, now struggles with corruption, criminal ties and waning influence.

The housing crisis worsens as property prices rise and incomes stagnate, affecting affordability and economic well-being throughout developed nations.

After a difficult decade of authoritarian leadership and high crime levels, Paraguay appears to be on the path to stability – thanks to President Abdo Benitez’s rapid reaction to the pandemic. If the Chinese economy recovers, Paraguay could find itself in an enviable position.

A truly multipolar world would dilute the importance of China and the United States, but the two superpower rivals are not going to cede influence easily.

France and Germany are taking the wrong approach to their economic problems, speeding up the decline in Europe.

As China has been becoming an increasingly important player in the economy of Latin America, Beijing kept a low profile. Now, it can no longer avoid the spotlight. In Chile, Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil, and Cuba, its position leads to challenges. The question is how assertive it become in imposing its will on the countries and how they react.

For Panama, the partnership with China is an attempt to revive its economy. For Beijing, it is a chance to gain influence over the crucial Panama Canal. The question is how Panama’s new government will balance its appetite for Chinese investment with its need to maintain close ties with the United States.

Despite public concerns, data clearly shows that nuclear power is a much safer energy source than fossil fuels. Recent innovations could soon reduce the risks even further.

The expansion of BRICS to 11 nations will strengthen the shift to a multipolar order and challenge Western dominance.

Overfishing is a global environmental and economic problem that resists administrative solutions. Giving control to local stakeholders would help.

Brexit talks were supposed to be concluded at the EU summit on October 17. But the deadline passed with no breakthrough. With the clock to a “hard Brexit” ticking down, this could be the salutary shock needed to reach a compromise — or point to a future in which encourages a drift toward protectionism.

Central and South America with the Caribbean face growing geopolitical pressure as Washington and Beijing compete for dominance south of the U.S. border.

In 2019, long-time President of Bolivia Evo Morales had to resign in the aftermath of violent protests. The right-wing interim government that succeeded him must now stabilize the country. Meanwhile, the former president is striving to rally his supporters.

All around, the wind seems to have filled the sails of the world economy. From consumer spending to investment to stock market indices, the sailing seems smooth. But some dangerous currents, including debt-fueled liquidity and low productivity, are converging below the surface.

The concept of hemispheric defense may gain new traction in the U.S. if Donald Trump is elected, but finding willing partners is uncertain.