Americas Quarterly: How Latin America Can Reimagine Its Role in the Global Economy

New York, July 26, 2022— “It may sound like hyperbole, but it’s true: Today offers the best chance in a generation for Latin American economies to change the way they interact with the world, and with each other,” write Americas Quarterly (AQ) editors in the magazine’s latest edition, focusing on global supply chains. “The lessons from the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and a growing ideological alignment among governments in the Americas have all made ‘nearshoring’ and regional integration the buzzwords of the moment.” AQ also notes that only 15 percent of Latin America’s overall trade happens in the region, compared to 38 percent in North America and 55 percent in the European Union. “Any effort to integrate economies will help produce quality jobs, and generate growth, at a time when both are acutely needed in the wake of Covid-19.”

Shannon K. O’Neil makes a case for intraregional trade in Latin America in “Why Latin America Lost at Globalization—and How It Can Win Now.” José Antonio Meade writes that greater access to education is the most important factor for Latin America to take advantage of global supply chains. Adriana Arreaza cites trade facilitation, improving infrastructure, and productive integration as pillars to enhance intraregional trade in Latin America. Blanca Treviño emphasizes the importance of the nearshore model for Latin America. Magdalena Bas Vilizzio lists improving communication within civil society, putting human rights at the center of all trade agreements, and overcoming internal fragmentation as ways the region can take advantage of shifting global supply chains. Susan Segal answers the question, “Where will the unraveling of decades of commercial relations take us?” in “Deglobalization Means Fresh Challenges for Latin America.” Emilie Sweigart presents five examples of manufacturers expanding in Latin America in “Betting on ‘Made in the Americas.’”

Join AQ on July 27 for “How to Make Nearshoring in Latin America a Reality,” a livestreamed launch event featuring former Secretary of Finance and Public Credit of Mexico José Antonio Meade, Chairman of Copa Holdings Stanley A. Motta, Vice President and Deputy Director of Studies and Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations Shannon K. O’Neil, and Senior Director for Policy at AS/COA and Managing Editor of Americas Quarterly Cecilia Tornaghi.

Also in this issue:

• Geert Aalbers, Brian Winter, and Emilie Sweigart give an overview on anticorruption efforts in Latin America, with a focus on the 2022 Capacity to Combat Corruption Index.
• The AQ Profile: Americas Quarterly profiles Mercado Libre co-founder Hernán Kazah and ex-CFO Nicolás Szekasy.

The full issue is available at americasquarterly.org. View the PDF.

To request interviews with the authors, or to request publication permission, please contact AS/COA Media Relations at mediarelations@as-coa.org.