South America’s Last Technocrat Standing
Paraguay offers a test of whether technocratic governance can work in South America today.
Robert Carlson
February 26, 2026
The Alliance for Development in Democracy: An Overlooked Partner for the United States
In their effort to assuage reluctant partners in the region, U.S. officials risk ignoring Latin American and Caribbean governments that have consistently supported U.S. interests and values.
Robert Carlson
June 16, 2022
Los Bonos Azules en Ecuador: Una Estrategia Innovadora para la Conservación
Ayudar a Ecuador a negociar un canje de deuda por naturaleza y construir una relación comercial centrada en el medio ambiente deberían ser dos de los muchos enfoques novedosos de la administración de Biden.
Guy Mentel
May 26, 2022
Blue Bonds in Ecuador: An Innovative Approach to Conservation
Helping Ecuador negotiate a debt-for-nature swap and building environment-centered trade ties should be two of the United States’ many novel approaches ahead of the Summit of the Americas.
Guy Mentel
May 24, 2022
Xiomara Castro: An Unlikely U.S. Partner
U.S. leaders have taken exactly the right approach with the new leader of Honduras, welcoming Castro as a partner to resolve the root causes of migration.
Robert Carlson
February 3, 2022
LGBTQ Rights in Latin America and the Caribbean: No Longer a Left-Right Issue
To understand why some LGBTQ movements in the region have stalled —and to advocate for future change—we have to look beyond party ideology.
Robert Carlson
January 27, 2022
A Case for Caution on Human Rights
Advocates should embrace a two-pronged approach, pushing the envelope at the domestic level while reinforcing well-established rights through international institutions. Rather than weighing in on contested issues and provoking a nationalist backlash, the Inter-American Court and the IACHR should instead reinforce rights that are widely approved by the public but neglected by governments.
Robert Carlson
February 26, 2021