Plaza Central

Plaza Central, a podcast from the Wilson Center’s Latin American Program, keeps you informed about Latin America’s most pressing political, economic, and social developments through interviews with leading experts and policymakers.

President Biden’s Trip to South America 11/08/2024

President Biden’s Trip to South America In this episode of Plaza Central, host Benjamin Gedan, Director of the Wilson Center’s Latin America Program, discusses President Biden’s trip to South America with Brian Nichols, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. As his term comes to an end, Biden’s journey to the Amazon, the APEC summit in Lima, Peru, and the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, might be his last major opportunity to shape US priorities for Latin America. In their conservation, Nichols addresses Latin America's importance to US policy on climate change, migration, and the defense of democracy, and the US approach to the crisis in Venezuela and the new leadership in Mexico. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/33852617

Backlash: A Conversation with Macarena Sáez on Feminism in Latin America 10/24/2024

Backlash: A Conversation with Macarena Sáez on Feminism in Latin America Host Beatriz García Nice, an associate at the Wilson Center's Latin America Program, interviews Macarena Sáez, executive director of the Women's Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, to explore the state of women's rights in Latin America. They discuss the backlash against feminism, in the context of populism and democratic decline, but also the resilience and creativity of feminist movements, which are increasingly addressing broader social concerns, such as childcare, poverty, and human rights. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/33599587

Freed from Nicaragua 09/26/2024

Freed from Nicaragua This month, Nicaraguan strongman Daniel Ortega released 135 political prisoners, including students and religious leaders. The United States played a key role in facilitating their resettlement in Guatemala. Host Benjamin Gedan is joined by Eric Jacobstein, deputy assistant secretary in the State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, and Enrique Roig, deputy assistant secretary in the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, who both played a role in the prisoner release, to discuss the implications for Nicaragua’s future and US strategy to promote a return to democracy. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/33224712

Edmundo González and Venezuela’s High-Stakes Election 07/25/2024

Edmundo González and Venezuela’s High-Stakes Election Ambassador Mark Green, president and CEO of the Wilson Center, interviews Edmundo González, Venezuela’s opposition presidential candidate, ahead of the July 28, 2024 election. González shares his vision for the country’s future and discusses the challenges of opposing an authoritarian regime and the hopes for democratic change. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/32296222

El Salvador’s ‘Tropical Gulag’ 02/07/2024

El Salvador’s ‘Tropical Gulag’ El Salvador’s popular and controversial president, Nayib Bukele, has won a second term. Host Benjamin Gedan is joined by Noah Bullock, executive director of the human rights organization Cristosal, to discuss the future of El Salvador, including the crackdown on criminal gangs and its implications for the rule of law. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/29844423

La ruta hacia la inclusión digital en Ecuador 01/18/2024

La ruta hacia la inclusión digital en Ecuador En este episodio de Plaza Central, la exministra ecuatoriana Vianna Maino habla sobre los avances y la hoja de ruta pendiente para construir una Ecuador digital inclusivo, los programas implementados hasta ahora, y las políticas tecnológicas que se requieren para cerrar la brecha digital, expandir la conectividad en áreas rurales y convertir el acceso en un derecho. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/29544823

Guatemala’s ‘Democratic Spring’ 01/16/2024

Guatemala’s ‘Democratic Spring’ With corruption fighter Bernardo Arévalo finally in office, Latin America Program Global Fellow Catherine Osborn speaks with Guatemalan human rights lawyer Alfredo Ortega about the challenges the new president is facing as he attempts to implement his ambitious reform agenda. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/29501893

Latin America in 2024 01/08/2024

Latin America in 2024 Latin America Program Director Benjamin Gedan interviews global fellow James Bosworth about his predictions for 2024. They discuss Mexico’s presidential election, Argentina’s economy, and the outlook for Bernardo Arévalo’s first year in office in Guatemala. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/29394568

Voces en Peligro 07/19/2023

Voces en Peligro En esta edición especial del podcast Plaza Central del Programa Latinoamericano del Wilson Center, la corresponsal de CNN en Español, Bertha Michelle Mendoza, conversa con los periodistas centroamericanos Wendy Funes, Juan Lorenzo Holmann y Héctor Silva sobre las amenazas a la libertad de expresión en la región y los crecientes obstáculos para su labor de investigación periodística como parte de uno de los eventos de la iniciativa “Voices”, organizado en colaboración con el Departamento de Estado de EE.UU. y la Agencia de EE.UU. para el Desarrollo Internacional (USAID). /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/27510624

Partido Colorado, el Oficialismo y la Oposición 05/05/2023

Partido Colorado, el Oficialismo y la Oposición En este episodio de Plaza Central, Beatriz García Nice plática con Estela Ruíz Díaz, analista política y periodista paraguaya de Radio Monumental y el periódico Última Hora, sobre las recientes elecciones presidenciales en Paraguay. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/26758755

Seiscientos once días en las sombras 03/10/2023

Seiscientos once días en las sombras In this episode of the Latin American Program’s Plaza Central podcast, Juan Sebastián Chamorro, a Nicaraguan economist and opposition leader imprisoned by Daniel Ortega for 611 days, recounts his time in El Chipote prison, his sudden release and arrival in the United States, and the future of Nicaragua’s opposition movement. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/26189670

South America’s Lithium and the Race to Go Green 11/30/2022

South America’s Lithium and the Race to Go Green In this episode of Plaza Central, guest host Patricia I. Vásquez speaks with Benchmark Mineral Intelligence Executive Editor Henry Sanderson about his new book “Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green,” the prominent role of China in the lithium value chain, the unique opportunities that the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act offers for the Lithium Triangle to grow its lithium industry, and the optimal position of Argentina and Chile to attract investments to their lithium industries. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/25178769

Guyana Oil Rush 11/07/2022

Guyana Oil Rush In this episode of Plaza Central, host Benjamin Gedan speaks with U.S. Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch about the role of the United States in helping Guyana maximize the economic development opportunities from its rapidly expanding energy sector while strengthening its democratic institutions. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/24936306

Pretty Peso: Impacts of U.S. and European Monetary Policy in Latin America 10/14/2022

Pretty Peso: Impacts of U.S. and European Monetary Policy in Latin America In this episode of Plaza Central, host Benjamin Gedan speaks with Alejo Czerwonko, chief investment officer for emerging markets in the Americas at UBS, and Gabriela Soní, chief investment officer for Mexico at UBS, about the impacts in Latin America of rapidly rising interest rates in the United States and Europe. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/24689919

Back to the Drawing Board: Chileans Reject a New Constitution 09/13/2022

Back to the Drawing Board: Chileans Reject a New Constitution In this episode of Plaza Central, guest host Anders Beal is joined by Heraldo Muñoz, former foreign minister of Chile, to discuss the results of Chile’s constitutional plebiscite and what the rejection of the proposed constitution means for the future of Chilean democracy. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/24365814

El Futuro de la ‘Marea Verde’ en el Hemisferio 07/12/2022

El Futuro de la ‘Marea Verde’ en el Hemisferio El 24 de junio pasado, la Suprema Corte de Estados Unidos revocó el fallo de Roe vs. Wade de 1973 el cual daba a las mujeres en Estados Unidos el derecho constitucional al aborto. Hasta el momento, 11 estados ya han prohibido el acceso al aborto y se espera que otros 11 lo hagan en las próximas semanas. En este episodio de Plaza Central, Beatriz García Nice plática con Macarena Sáez, directora ejecutiva de la División de Derechos de las Mujeres de Human Rights Watch, sobre el reciente fallo, las implicaciones que éste tiene para los movimientos feministas a lo largo del hemisferio y cómo esto posiciona Estados Unidos como salvaguarda de los derechos fundamentales de los individuos. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/23720840

El ‘Oro Blanco’ de la Argentina 05/23/2022

El ‘Oro Blanco’ de la Argentina En este episodio de Plaza Central, Patricia Vásquez, global fellow del Programa Latinoamericano del Wilson Center, explora con Matías Kulfas, ministro de desarrollo productivo de Argentina, las crecientes inversiones en el codiciado sector del litio y el papel de este mineral en la transición global hacia energías limpias. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/23202773

Empoderando a las mujeres del norte del Cauca 04/25/2022

Empoderando a las mujeres del norte del Cauca En este episodio de Plaza Central, Beatriz García Nice plática con Clemencia Carabalí, fundadora de la Asociación de Mujeres Afrodescendientes del Norte del Cauca (ASOM), sobre las dificultades que atraviesan las mujeres afrodescendientes en el norte del Cauca, Colombia, a causa de la violencia, el racismo y el deterioro ambiental. También charlan sobre el rol de ASOM en el empoderamiento de las mujeres a nivel económico y político, y el desarrollo sostenible como derecho ciudadano y causal de desarrollo. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/22898849

What Does Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Mean for Latin America? 04/04/2022

What Does Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Mean for Latin America? In this episode of Plaza Central, host Benjamin Gedan speaks with Charles Seville, senior director and co-head of Americas Sovereign Ratings at Fitch Ratings, about the economic impacts in Latin America of Russia’s war against Ukraine. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/22676282

Taiwan’s ‘Medical Diplomacy’ in Latin America 03/14/2022

Taiwan’s ‘Medical Diplomacy’ in Latin America In this episode of Plaza Central, Benjamin Gedan speaks with Ian Chen, an associate professor at the Institute of Political Science at Taiwan’s National Sun Yat-sen University, to discuss the rivalry between China and Taiwan, why Taiwan is so invested in preserving diplomatic ties in Latin America, and how China wields “medical diplomacy” to pressure Taiwan’s allies. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/22443041

The Alliance for Development in Democracy 02/01/2022

The Alliance for Development in Democracy In this special presentation of Plaza Central, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama Erika Mouynes, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica Rodolfo Solano, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic Roberto Álvarez, and the Wilson Center's Cynthia Arnson discuss the Alliance for Development in Democracy, an initiative to promote democratic strengthening and economic growth through the tightening of the three countries’ commercial, demographic, and cultural ties. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/21988616

Cooperación Hispanohablante 11/23/2021

Cooperación Hispanohablante En este episodio de Plaza Central, Beatriz García Nice platica con el Secretario de Estado para Iberoamérica y el Caribe y el Español en el Mundo del Gobierno de España, el Embajador Juan Fernández Trigo, sobre el posicionamiento de España como un gran aliado en la donación de vacunas a países hispanohablantes, el estado de las relaciones entre España y América Latina, y el llamado “revisionismo histórico” de la conquista española. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/21259859

SOUTHCOM Gets its First Female Commander 08/23/2021

SOUTHCOM Gets its First Female Commander In this episode of "Two the Point," Benjamin Gedan speaks with Liliana Ayalde, former U.S. ambassador to Brazil and former civilian deputy to the commander and foreign policy adviser at the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). They discuss the confirmation of Lieutenant General Laura Richardson as the next commander of the U.S. Southern Command, the first woman to hold that post, and SOUTHCOM's priorities under the Biden administration. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/20232602

El retorno de la justicia: El caso de Gloria Porras 07/09/2021

El retorno de la justicia: El caso de Gloria Porras En este episodio de “Two the Point,” Beatriz García Nice del Programa Latinoamericano charla con Gloria Porras, Magistrada Electa de la Corte de Constitucionalidad de Guatemala. En la conversación discutieron su salida de Guatemala cuando se le negó tomar posesión de su tercer periodo como Magistrada Titular, el estado de derecho, la lucha contra la corrupción en Guatemala, y la reunión que sostuvo recientemente con la Vice Presienta de Estados Unidos, Kamala Harris. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/19758092

Panama’s Pandemic Diplomacy: A Conversation with Foreign Minister Erika Mouynes 05/03/2021

Panama’s Pandemic Diplomacy: A Conversation with Foreign Minister Erika Mouynes Host Benjamin Gedan is joined by Erika Mouynes, Panama’s foreign minister, to discuss challenges including climate change, migration from Colombia and navigating tensions between the United States and China, Panama’s most critical economic partners. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/18962252

Pandemic Recovery in Latin America: From Vaccine Access to the Digital Divide 03/29/2021

Pandemic Recovery in Latin America: From Vaccine Access to the Digital Divide Cynthia Arnson, the Latin American Program Director, is joined by Luis Felipe López-Calva, UN Assistant Secretary General and UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, to discuss the pre-existing structural inequalities exacerbated by COVID-19 and the need to address these underlying issues to secure region-wide recovery. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/18509378

Chile’s Foreign Policy Priorities: A Conversation with Foreign Minister Andrés Allamand 03/05/2021

Chile’s Foreign Policy Priorities: A Conversation with Foreign Minister Andrés Allamand Cynthia Arnson, the Latin American Program Director, hosts Andrés Allamand, the Foreign Minister of Chile, to discuss what the region expect from the Biden administration, the prospects for a peaceful democratic transition in Venezuela, and the forthcoming election to select the members of the Constitutional Convention that will draft Chile’s new constitution. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/18206045

A Tale of Two Coups 02/18/2021

A Tale of Two Coups Former U.S. Ambassador to Honduras Hugo Llorens joins host Benjamin Gedan to analyze the parallels between the 2009 coup in Honduras and the recent coup d’état in Myanmar, which has presented the first foreign policy challenge for the Biden administration. Ambassador Llorens, who served in Tegucigalpa during the coup and its aftermath, discusses the lessons we might learn from the U.S. response to the Honduras political crisis, which occurred early in the Obama presidency. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/17999807

Northbound 02/02/2021

Northbound Cynthia Arnson, the Latin American Program Director, hosts Ricardo Zúñiga, Senior Diplomatic Fellow and the Brazil Institute Interim Director at the Wilson Center, to discuss the complex push and pull factors that drive Central Americans to migrate to the United States, the first migrant caravans of 2021, and the Biden administration’s plans for Central America. /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/17793164

Just What the Doctor Ordered 01/11/2021

Just What the Doctor Ordered Host Benjamin Gedan is joined by Nicolás Saldías, a Latin America analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, to discuss the legacy of the late former president of Uruguay Tabaré Vázquez and how a mild mannered doctor quietly transformed Uruguayan politics. Read “Farewell to an Unassuming Star of Latin America’s Left” by Nicolás Saldías: https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/farewell-to-an-unassuming-star-of-latin-americas-left/ /episode/index/show/twothepoint/id/17505284

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