Georgetown Americas Institute

Georgetown Americas Institute GAI is a platform for dialogue, research, and impact around the key challenges facing the Americas.

07/16/2026

Last week, we welcomed José Woldenberg (Nexos Magazine) and G*I resident fellow Lorenzo Cordova for the latest session in our series: Challenges to Democracy: The Latin American Landscape.

The two experts the catalysts shaping Mexico’s gradual democratic transition, what that transition lacked, and what the impacts today are. Woldenberg warned against a regression towards authoritarianism, highlighting the importance of active participation in electoral processes, protecting important electoral reforms that have taken place since 1977, and strengthening the capacity of NGOs and universities in order to strengthen the diversity of the country’s political discourse.

Watch the full session here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8WIcaiAXBg&list=PL43weGK93QgbE5ZTvBlQGBbokHl27JbT-

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The next episode in our democracy series will focus on the state of democracy in Bolivia. G*I fellow Lorenzo Cordova wil...
07/14/2026

The next episode in our democracy series will focus on the state of democracy in Bolivia. G*I fellow Lorenzo Cordova will be joined by Salvador Romero, former program member of Bolivia’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal and former vice president of the Departmental Electoral Court of La Paz.

This series, Challenges to Democracy: The Latin American Landscape, serves as a lead up to our third annual State of Democracy in the Americas conference, which will take place in September 2026.

📅 Date: Tuesday, July 21
🕒 Time: 4 PM ET
💻 Zoom
Register here to join the conversation: https://americas.georgetown.edu/events/the-state-of-democracy-in-bolivia

Relations between the United States and Mexico have entered uncharted waters, as President Trump abandons many of the in...
07/09/2026

Relations between the United States and Mexico have entered uncharted waters, as President Trump abandons many of the informal agreements that had underpinned the countries’ interactions for decades.

At this critical juncture, Pamela Starr has written a new book explaining the informal rules of behavior that have developed over time and shape Mexico today, in politics, the economy, security institutions, and foreign relations.

The Georgetown Americas Institute is pleased to host a conversation with Starr on her new book, moderated by G*I Visiting Fellow Mary Beth Sheridan.

📅 July 16, 4-5 PM
🖥️ Zoom
🔗 Register here: https://americas.georgetown.edu/events/the-making-of-mexico-revolution-reform-and-transformation

With the support of the Georgetown Americas Institute student research grant, Annie Robinson travelled to Mexico to bett...
07/09/2026

With the support of the Georgetown Americas Institute student research grant, Annie Robinson travelled to Mexico to better understand literary culture for Indigenous authors as part of her research for her dissertation, which analyzes environmental themes portrayed by Native authors in the US Southwest and southern Mexico.

This trip allowed her to connect with writers, translators, and publishers, while also acquiring primary texts typically unavailable within the United States. Robinson also attended Guadalajara at the International Book Fair where she acquired texts for her dissertation while attending talks by authors who write in original languages.

This trip provided her with invaluable insights into writing, translating, and publishing in the original languages of Mexico, allowing her to better understand connections between linguistics and biodiversity. Read more about her project: https://americas.georgetown.edu/features/annie-robinson-on-how-the-environment-is-portrayed-in-native-u-s-southwestern-and-southern-mexican-literature

In the lead up to our third annual State of Democracy in the Americas conference, G*I has been pleased to host the virtu...
07/07/2026

In the lead up to our third annual State of Democracy in the Americas conference, G*I has been pleased to host the virtual summer series “Challenges to Democracy: The Latin American Landscape,” led by Visiting Fellow Lorenzo Cordova.

The first session featured Argentine political scientist and director of Radar LATA 360, Daniel Zovatto. The conversation explored the threat of rising authoritarianism across the region, institutional erosion, and growing discontent with democracy.

Zovatto offered three priorities to strengthen democracy
➡️ Reconstruct the role of the citizen in democracy, with an emphasis on the importance of democratic processes, not just outcomes.
➡️ Invest in the rule of law by guaranteeing legal security, combatting impunity for corruption and organized crime, and protecting human rights.
➡️ Ensure results so that citizens do not solely rely on resilience.

Watch the full session here: https://www.youtube.com/live/U-4yDx0vfk8?si=uPcjDra2CQVF6SNr

In continuation of our series on challenges to democracy in Latin America, the Georgetown Americas Institute is pleased ...
07/02/2026

In continuation of our series on challenges to democracy in Latin America, the Georgetown Americas Institute is pleased to welcome José Woldenberg, former president of the Federal Electoral Institute.

G*I fellow Lorenzo Cordova will moderate the conversation which will explore the factors impacting the strength of democracy in Mexico, including the influence of organized crime, eroding checks and balances, and high levels of impunity.

📅 Date: Tuesday, July 9
🕒 Time: 4 PM ET
💻 Zoom
Register here to join the conversation: https://americas.georgetown.edu/events/the-state-of-democracy-in-mexico

With the support of a Georgetown Americas Institute student research grant, Alexandra Mira Alonso advanced her project "...
07/01/2026

With the support of a Georgetown Americas Institute student research grant, Alexandra Mira Alonso advanced her project "Archiving Proto-Queer Celebrity Culture in Barcelona" by presenting at conferences and conducting archival research and digital humanities work.

Alexandra presented at the Northeast Modern Language Association Conference, focusing on a photographic archive recovered from the closed Foto Ramblas studio, which documented performers from Barcelona’s cabaret circuits between 1956 and 1985..

She also developed an open-access digital cartography with archival materials using ArcGIS StoryMaps, which maps performers, venues, and cultural practices found in q***r archives. It also situates photographs, letters, press clippings, radio programs, and government notices, offering a spatial reading of q***r and trans resistance in Barcelona during the Francoist dictatorship.

Read more about her work here: https://americas.georgetown.edu/features/alexandra-mira-alonso-on-barcelona-s-carbaret-circuits

“North America is the most competitive region in the world; it is not just about buying and selling, it is about co-prod...
06/26/2026

“North America is the most competitive region in the world; it is not just about buying and selling, it is about co-producing.” – Ambassador Esteban Moctezuma

This spring, we welcomed His Excellency Esteban Moctezuma, Ambassador of Mexico to the United States, in conversation with Ambassador Andres Duran, former Ambassador of Uruguay to the United States as a part of our Ambassador Series.

The session examined key areas shaping the bilateral agenda, including economic integration, migration, security cooperation, energy policy, and the broader geopolitical balance in the context of China and nearshoring.

Read the full summary here: https://americas.georgetown.edu/features/u-s-mexico-relations-under-pressure-trade-migration-security-and-geopolitics-in-transition

This past semester, G*I, together with the Americas Business Dialogue and the Latin American Business Association at Geo...
06/25/2026

This past semester, G*I, together with the Americas Business Dialogue and the Latin American Business Association at Georgetown University, hosted a timely and engaging conversation on investment opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean.

As the region navigates shifting global markets, evolving supply chains, and new economic pressures, the discussion highlighted both the challenges and the tremendous opportunities across infrastructure, energy transition, advanced manufacturing, digital services, logistics, and innovation. Panelists also explored how stronger public-private collaboration, sound regulatory frameworks, and strategic investment can help unlock sustainable growth across the Americas.

We were honored to bring together leaders and industry experts including Fabrizio Opertti (IDB), Guillermo Foscarini (IDB Invest), Felipe Rincon (Mastercard), Gaelle Burkhart (The AES Corporation), and J. Welby Leaman (Walmart) in a conversation moderated by G*I fellow and former Uruguayan Ambassador to the United States Andrés Augusto Durán Hareau. We also give a special thank you to our LABA participants Roberto A. Rumbaut G. and Barbara Aveggio.

G*I was pleased to host author Richard Lapper to discuss his new book Lula! The Man, the Myth, and the Dream of Latin Am...
06/18/2026

G*I was pleased to host author Richard Lapper to discuss his new book Lula! The Man, the Myth, and the Dream of Latin America. In conversation with CLAS adjunct professor Michael Shifter, the talk explored the legacy—and future—of one of Latin America’s most consequential political figures.

With Brazil’s 2026 presidential election approaching, the contest between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro remains highly competitive amid economic challenges, corruption scandals, and a deeply polarized electorate. Public security, organized crime, and state reform remain among Brazil’s most pressing issues. Lapper argued that these challenges will be critical in shaping the country’s political future.

Looking ahead, questions remain about who can succeed Lula and what the future holds for Brazil’s democratic and economic development.

We are especially grateful to Richard Lapper and Michael Shifter for an insightful discussion on Brazil’s past, present, and future!

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