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Julia Sweig
Shannon O'NeilLeaders of the nations of the Western Hemisphere are working to manage regional democratization, problems associated with the challenges of globalization, and new and longstanding security threats. Political and economic shocks—Argentina’s financial crisis, Venezuela’s polarization, Haiti’s unrest, upheaval in the Andean region—have shaken democratic consolidation, tested democratic institutions, and weakened public faith in both democracy and liberalizing economic reforms. The United States and Canada continue to try to resolve trade disputes and to repair relations damaged by the war in Iraq. Mexico has largely recovered from its 1994 financial crisis, but crime and official corruption remain obstacles to further political and economic development.
Featured Projects
October 1, 1989—Present
| Staff: | Julia E. Sweig, Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies and Director for Latin America Studies |
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The Latin America Roundtable provides updates on breaking economic and political events in Latin America. The seminars are designed to provide prompt, thoughtful analysis of rapidly changing political and economic developments in the region. Although the seminars may be treated as discrete topics, taken together, the series provides a broad overview and a comparative perspective on the major issues, events, and debates in the Americas. Seminars have examined prospects for Colombia’s future; the Chávez regime in Venezuela; Argentinean presidential elections; the politics of Mexican economic and political transition; Latin America’s response to the global economic crisis; and the problems of development and regional integration in the Caribbean.
The roundtable also expanded its activities in Washington, D.C., to examine such topics as the consolidation of democracy, U.S.-Latin American relations, and a country focus on Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico and Cuba.
This roundtable is made possible by the generous support of the Ford Foundation.
October 2006—December 2007
| Staff: | Shannon K. O'Neil, Douglas Dillon Fellow for Latin America Studies |
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| Director: | Julia E. Sweig, Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies and Director for Latin America Studies |
The Latin America, America Latin Roundtable Series explores how the growing Hispanic demographic in the United States is reshaping the domestic political and economic landscapes of the United States and of the sending countries. Issues being addressed include the role of remittances and the implications of hemispheric economic integration; transnational culture and the prominence of civil society organizations; security issues related to illegal immigration and drug trafficking; the hispanization of the U.S. market; the effect of Latinos on U.S. foreign policy; and the domestic and foreign policy considerations of U.S. immigration debates.
This roundtable series is made possible by the generous support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Ford Foundation.
July 2007—Present
| Directors: | Julia E. Sweig, Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies and Director for Latin America Studies Shannon K. O'Neil, Douglas Dillon Fellow for Latin America Studies |
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Despite substantial structural reforms and market opening, Latin America continues to lag behind other developing regions. Trade and economic growth trail far behind both East and South Asia. Value-added and high technology exports remain minimal. Economic inequality rivals even the most troubled African nations, leaving the vast majority of the population without the resources to successfully integrate into an increasingly global marketplace. Limited opportunities at home are driving migratory flows north, changing the economies, societies and polities of both the sending Latin American countries and the main receiving country, the United States. Politically, the narrow gains from globalization are placing democracy at risk. The recent electoral prominence of outsider, populist, and even authoritarian candidates reflects the growing apathy and distrust of citizens, due in large part to the economic exclusion of Latin America's majorities from the benefits of globalization.
The Globalization and Democracy Roundtable Series will look broadly at the issues facing Latin American and U.S. policymakers. Drawing on the experience of practitioners and experts from the public sector, academia, and the private sector, it will systematically examine a range of related issues, including the state of Latin America's social contract, the rule of law, the informal sector, the digital divide, physical infrastructure and human capacity building, taxation and governments' revenue stream, poverty and inequality, the potential for public-private partnerships, and the potential for energy resources to redress social exclusion.
This series is made possible by the generous support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Ford Foundation.
September 12, 2008—Present
| Fellows: | Julia E. Sweig, Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies and Director for Latin America Studies Shannon K. O'Neil, Douglas Dillon Fellow for Latin America Studies |
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This symposium was made possible by the generous support of the Ford Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
December 2008—Present
| Director: | Shannon K. O'Neil, Douglas Dillon Fellow for Latin America Studies |
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This project will develop a framework for a Sustainable Energy Partnership for the Americas that goes beyond bilateral agreements and adopts a regional approach towards sustainable growth and clean energy. The objective of this project is to draft a blueprint that will explore, and ultimately define, pathways for collaboration among American states in order to deliver solutions to the region's energy challenges. The blueprint document will be presented at the Summit of the Americas which will take place in Trinidad and Tobago in April 2009 and will also be available on our website at that time.
This initiative is a collaboration between scholars and receives support from the Center for International Governance and Innovation, Canada; the Council on Foreign Relations, United States; Centro Brasileiro de Relações Internacionais, Brazil; and University of West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago.
At the Council on Foreign Relations, this project is part of the Latin America Studies Program and the International Institutions and Global Governance Program. It is made possible by the generous support of Ford Foundation, the Robina Foundation, and the Tinker Foundation.
Featured Publications
August 18, 2009
Shannon K. O'Neil provides an annotated Foreign Affairs syllabus on Mexican politics.
July/August 2009
May 3, 2009
Julia E. Sweig argues that the costs of maintaining the base at Guantanamo Bay outweigh the benefits.
November 17, 2008
CFR's Latin America Studies Program outlines the implications of the global financial crisis for Latin America.
May 2008
Task Force Report No. 60
This report recommends reframing U.S. policy around four critical areas—poverty and inequality, public security, migration, and energy security—that are of immediate concern to Latin America’s governments and citizens. This report is also available in Spanish.
February 2007
Council Special Report No. 24
This report encourages the U.S. government to redirect its policy toward Bolivia from “wait and see” to one with an emphasis on conflict prevention and preserving the democratic process in order to address the nation’s many challenges. This report is also available in Spanish.
November 2006
Council Special Report No. 20
With polls showing Chávez strongly in the lead in the December 3, 2006, Venezuelan presidential election, the United States needs to prepare for another six-year term with the controversial leader. This report proposes a new strategic framework for U.S. policy toward Venezuela. This report is also available in Spanish.
June/November 2006
Council Special Report No. 17
The contentious July 2006 Mexican presidential election has placed Mexico squarely back on the U.S. foreign policy agenda. This report offers concrete policy recommendations to the U.S. government on how to help Mexico deal with its future challenges. This report is also available in Spanish.
March 2006
America quietly sowed the seeds of its own decline in the eyes of the world in its own backyard. In Latin America, under the guise of anti-communism, we sponsored dictatorships, turned a blind eye to killing squads, and tolerated the subversion of democracy. Almost nobody knew, so it didn’t matter, right?
January 2004
The United States spends approximately $700 million per year in the Andean region, but this Commission report concludes that current U.S. policy—focused narrowly on “drugs and thugs” in the Andes—cannot achieve U.S. regional goals of democracy, prosperity, and security. Andes 2020 offers bold new recommendations to recalibrate U.S. policy to better meet its objectives.
May 2002
In her book, Council Senior Fellow Julia Sweig shatters the mythology surrounding the Cuban Revolution in a compelling revisionist history that reconsiders the roles of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara and restores to a central position the leadership of the Cuban urban underground, the Llano.
Explore the international finance regime with a new interactive from CFR's program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
Identifying international threats and acting on them may be the most difficult job for U.S. policymakers. This report
provides an actionable road map for managing international threats before they erupt into crises and makes a strong case that preventive action is not a luxury but a necessity.
For more than a decade, the United States has mostly watched from the sidelines as Asian countries organize themselves into an alphabet soup of new multilateral groups. In this report, the authors review the relationship between pan-Asian and trans-Pacific institutions and suggest policy guidelines for a new U.S. approach to this new Asian landscape.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
Start-Up Nation addresses the trillion-dollar question: How is it that Israel—a country of 7.1 million, only sixty years old, surrounded by enemies— produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and the UK? With the insights of geopolitical experts and investors, the authors examine this nation’s adversity-driven culture to answer this question and offer prescriptions for a global economy on the rebound.
In Forces of Fortune, Vali Nasr presents a paradigm-changing revelation that will transform the understanding of the Muslim world at large. He reveals that there is a vital but unseen rising force in the Islamic world—a new business-minded middle class—that is building a vibrant new Muslim world economy and that holds the key to winning the cold war against Iran and extremists.
In Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba's unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.
Complete list of CFR Books
For more information on the David Rockefeller Studies Program, contact:
James M. Lindsay
Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair
+1.212.434.9626 (NY); +1.202.509.8405 (DC)
jlindsay@cfr.org
Janine Hill
Deputy Director of Studies Administration
+1.212.434.9753
jhill@cfr.org
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