On May 1, a transatlantic trade deal covering 31 countries and a quarter of global GDP comes into effect. Some thought it would never materialize, but after 25 years of off-and-on negotiations, Mercosur and the European Union committed to one of the largest free-trade deals in the world. So why did the two trade blocs to sign on the dotted line?

“ The reality is that today, given the approach that the United States is taking on trade policy, it really is nudging countries [...] to go ahead and take those risks. Because the risk of doing nothing is much higher than the risk of doing something," says trade expert Kellie Meiman Hock, a senior counselor at McLarty Associates and advisor to COA's Trade Advisory Group. In her return to the podcast, Meiman Hock explains how recent U.S. trade policy spurred Mercosur and other countries across the hemisphere to diversify their commercial relationships.

She also covers the wrinkles left for the South American and European trade blocs to iron out in the agreement, and other deals in the pipeline as countries search for stability in a trade landscape she describes to AS/COA Online’s Luisa Leme as “completely unexplored territory.”

This episode was produced by Luisa Leme with support from Khalea Robertson. Carin Zissis is the host.

Share and subscribe at Apple, Spotify,YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Access other episodes of Latin America in Focus and send us feedback at latamfocus@as-coa.org.

Listen to our previous episode with Kellie Meiman Hock on the impact of the Trump administration’s tariff policy on Latin America:
https://www.as-coa.org/articles/latam-focus-trade-and-tensions-latin-america-braces-trumps-tariffs

The music in the podcast is Paulo Moura's "Tarde de Chuva," performed by Cliff Korman Ensemble for Americas Society. Find out about upcoming concerts at musicoftheamericas.org. Find out about upcoming concerts at musicoftheamericas.org. Share your love for Latin America: Join Americas Society.

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.

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After a February military operation led to the death of Nemesio Rubén “El Mencho” Oseguera, Mexican authorities searched the cartel leader’s cabin and uncovered logs showing that low-level members of El Mencho’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel earned as little as $140 per week. Many people were surprised by how little the cartel lookouts and hitmen earn, given that their jobs can be, quite literally, deadly. Despite that, the number of people working for these crime groups could fill Estadio Azteca, the stadium where the World Cup kickoff will take place, about two times over.

In this week's episode, Complexity Science Hub’s Dr. Rafael Prieto-Curiel covers why stemming cartel recruitment is crucial for curbing violence in Mexico. The mathematician coauthored a groundbreaking study calculating that, with 175,000 members, cartels represent Mexico’s fifth-largest employer. Moreover, he estimates that they count as the country’s top recruiter, given that they have to repeatedly replenish their ranks following arrests, killings, and disappearances. “They are preventing their own collapse,” he tells AS/COA’s Carin Zissis.

This episode was produced by Khalea Robertson, Luisa Leme, and Camilo Salas. Carin Zissis is the host.

Share and subscribe at Apple, Spotify,YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Access other episodes of Latin America in Focus and send us feedback at latamfocus@as-coa.org.

Read Dr. Prieto-Curiel's research in Science.

The music in the podcast is performed by Alejandro Escuer and Leandro Díaz Keller for Americas Society. Find out about upcoming concerts at musicoftheamericas.org. Find out about upcoming concerts at musicoftheamericas.org. Share your love for Latin America: Join Americas Society.

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.

Follow us on social media:
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When the United States and Argentina signed a bilateral trade deal in February, one part of the agreement turned heads: Washington would be quadrupling the amount of tariff-free beef it would allow to be imported from the South American country.

Historically, the United States, like countries across the world, limits the amount of beef it imports to help promote its domestic ranching industry.

But now, the United States and Europe are opening their markets, just as China, who became the largest consumer of South American beef in recent years, is imposing quotas on the product for the first time.

Argentine trade expert Francisco Resnicoff joins AS/COA Online’s Chase Harrison to talk all things beef. How will new trade pacts and quotas affect the beef market? And what do shifts in the beef industry mean for domestic politics in countries like Argentina?

This episode was produced by Luisa Leme and Camilo Salas. Carin Zissis is the host.

Share and subscribe at Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Access other episodes of Latin America in Focus at www.as-coa.org/podcast and send us feedback at latamfocus@as-coa.org.

Francisco Resnicoff previously joined the podcast to discuss the 2024 G20. Listen to the episode: https://shorturl.at/TYaTY

Find out more about Trump’s policies in Latin America by subscribing to our weekly newsletter covering Washington’s hemispheric policy: www.as-coa.org/dispatch

The music in the podcast is “Chacarera en el aire," performed by Nicolás Fioravanti for Americas Society. Find out about upcoming concerts at musicoftheamericas.org. Share your love for Latin America: Join Americas Society. Becoming a member gives you preferential access to music performances, art exhibitions, book events, our magazine Americas Quarterly, and more.  

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.

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