Latin America in Focus Podcast
About Latin America in Focus
Go in depth on the latest trends in Latin American politics, economics, and culture. Twice a month, the AS/COA Online team brings you in-depth interviews with top experts, journalists, artists, and entrepreneurs on the ground in and from countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Chile.
Notable guests include:
- Amb. Thomas Shannon, former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and former U.S. Ambassador to Brazil
- Julio Frenk, former Secretary of Health of Mexico; University of Miami President
- Monica de Bolle, Senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics
- Michael Reid, Long-time Latin America columnist for The Economist
- Jorge Castañeda, Former Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico
- Samantha Schmidt, Bogotá Bureau Chief, The Washington Post
- Otaviano Canuto, Senior Fellow at Policy Center for the New South and former Vice President of the World Bank
- Natalie Unterstell, President of Institute Talanoa
- Pierpaolo Barbieri, Founder of the startup Ualá
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The series is heard by listeners in 50 countries around the globe. Join our audience! If you already know us, share your favorite episode and write a review. If you’ve just discovered us, welcome to Latin America in Focus and subscribe via your preferred platform, such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon, SoundCloud, or Stitcher.
Carin Zissis, Host
Carin is the editor-in-chief of AS/COA Online, the website of the Americas Society and Council of the Americas. An award-winning journalist, her writing and commentary have been featured by The Boston Globe, CNN, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Univision, World Politics Review, and other outlets.
Based in Mexico City from 2013 to 2021, she covered the 2018 Mexican elections and subsequent presidential transition. Prior to joining AS/COA, she served as a staff writer at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Luisa Leme, Executive Producer, Interim Host
As senior producer, Luisa oversees video and live broadcasts for AS/COA. A journalist with an MA in International Affairs, she has experience in traditional news outlets, international organizations, documentary features, mega-events, and cultural institutions in nine countries. Her work has appeared on TV Globo, Radio France Internationale, Rádio CBN, Americas Quarterly, AP, newspapers Folha de S. Paulo and O Globo, and the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.
Before joining AS/COA, Luisa worked in the UN News and Media division.
Chase Harrison, Reporter
Chase is AS/COA Online's editorial manager and holds an MPhil from the University of Oxford, where his research focused on political parties in Mexico and Central America and where he managed content and served as podcast editor for the OxPol academic blog.
Fabrizio Ricalde, Multimedia Associate
Fabrizio, AS/COA Online's multimedia associate, is a journalist, content creator, and communications expert with experience across traditional media, nonprofits, marketing, and government sectors. He has led communications for both the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Embassy of Peru in the U.S. Over the course of his career, he has worked in Lima, Austin, the Texas side of the U.S.-Mexico border, and Washington, D.C.
Gladys Gerbaud, Associate Producer
Gladys is an editorial associate at AS/COA Online. She holds an M.S. in Journalism and a B.A. in Political Science and History from Columbia University. Prior to joining AS/COA, she worked at the Columbia Global Freedom of Expression Program
Khalea Robertson, Associate Producer
Khalea is an editorial associate at AS/COA Online. She has worked as a journalist and researcher, and has previous experience in international relations and development. During her MA program in Global Journalism with Latin American and Caribbean Studies at New York University, her research and reporting focused on migration from and within the Americas.
FTI’s Pablo Zárate and ITAM’s Cecilia Farfán-Méndez explain what the U.S. security policy shift means for bilateral business and North American relations.
Migration experts Diego Chaves-González and João Jarochinski Silva explore Latin America’s reception of migrants, highlighting a novel strategy in Brazil.
Brookings’ security expert Vanda Felbab-Brown explains President Noboa’s security challenge. Will his Bukele-like hardline approach pay off?
Juan Cruz Díaz, Brian Winter, and Carin Zissis discuss the region's place in Trump's inauguration and first executive orders.
Americas Society’s Music Director Sebastián Zubieta shares his passion for the music and musicians that embody the eclectic traditions of the region.
Three experts from the Latin American members of the G20 discuss how leaders are navigating Trump’s return and U.S.-China competition in the region.
Business leaders from Riverwood Capital, Rappi, and VTEX talk about investing in the region and what it takes to build billion-dollar companies.
Political analyst Thomas Traumann examines gains by the opposition, as well as Lula's scenario for 2026 amid deep political divides.
Nicolás Saldías of the Economist Intelligence Unit profiles the frontrunners and discusses the stakes of a pension question on the October 27 ballot.
NetLab’s Marie Santini and University of Palermo’s Agustina Del Campo cover the X shutdown and the regional panorama of social media regulation.