Speakers:

• Roberta Jacobson, Senior Advisor, Albright Stonebridge Group; former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico
• Raul Jungmann, former Brazilian Defense & Public Security Minister
• Juan Carlos Pinzón, President, ProBogotá; former Colombian Defense Minister
• Frank Mora, Director of the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center, Florida International University
• Brian Winter, Editor-in-Chief, Americas Quarterly; Vice President of Policy, Americas Society/Council of the Americas (moderator)

Are military institutions in Latin America searching for power in the region again, thereby putting democracy at risk? Or is the military filling a void and left by declining confidence in political institutions? Americas Quarterly hosted a discussion with experts on the reemergence of the military in the political spotlight. When discussing recent news from El Salvador, Roberta Jacobson talked about what presidents who communicate directly with the population through Twitter believe they can do. Bukele’s high approval, said Frank Mora, “sends a message to other political entrepreneurs that ‘I can get away with this.’”

Juan Carlos Pinzón said he sees the military as responding to emergencies that politicians have not been able to address in the short term rather than seeking power. For Raul Jungman, the military has been redefining its role and strategy in each country in Latin America since the Cold War. "Democratization in the region brought new roles to the military such as security, the fight against drug trafficking, and the environment," he explained. But having a bigger role outside the arena of security falls outside the sector's expertise, Jungman explained, adding: "And that, I'm not sure, is good for democracy."

Speakers:

• Geert Aalbers, Senior Partner, Control Risks
• Susan Clancy, INCAE Faculty
• Roberto Simon, Senior Director for Policy and Head of the Anti-Corruption Working Group, AS/COA (moderator)

At a Miami event on the AS/COA Anti-Corruption Working Group's Capacity to Combat Corruption Index, experts discussed the results, methodology, and context of the report ranking Latin America's largest economies. They also covered the correlations between corruption and countries' GDP and competitiveness levels. "When you look at the three dimensions on social progress, [the report] is giving policymakers and people who care about corruption a sense of where would you actually start if you want to do something about corruption," said Susan Clancy.

• Learn more about the Anti-Corruption Working Group. 

Speakers:

• Mercedes de Freitas, Executive Director, Transparencia Venezuela 
• José Ignacio Hernández, Special Prosecutor, Interim Government of Venezuela 
• Geert Aalbers, Senior Partner, Control Risks
• Roberto Simon, Senior Director for Policy and Head of the Anti-Corruption Working Group, AS/COA (moderator)

As AS/COA launched the Capacity to Combat Corruption Index, the first instance of an annual tool co-developed by its Anti-Corruption Working Group and Control Risks, Roberto Simon presented the Index's results and moderated a discussion on the fight for transparency in Venezuela. The event included Mercedes de Freitas, the recipent of AS/COA's inaugural Anti-Corruption Leadership Award.

• Learn more about AS/COA’s Anti-Corruption Working Group.

Roberto Simon, el jefe del Grupo de Trabajo de Anti Corrupción de AS/COA habló con la Voz de América sobre corrupción en Latinoamérica en un evento organizado por la organización. "En varios países de la región es una forma de hacer política, es la forma con la cual a veces el gobernador o el presidente construye su apoyo en el congreso", dijo Simon.

Que la corrupción retrasa el desarrollo de América Latina, no hay ninguna duda. Sobre lo que no hay certeza es en cuánto, concluyeron expertos reunidos en Nueva York por AS/COA. Una de las razones: La corrupción se construye en medio de un camino en el que se evita dejar huellas.

Speakers

• Sérgio Moro, Federal Judge, Brazil
• Brian Winter, Vice President of Policy, AS/COA; Editor-in-Chief, Americas Quarterly

After Americas Quarterly's Brian Winter opened the magazine's conference on Latin America's fight against corruption, Brazil's Federal Judge Sérgio Moro took the stage with Winter to discuss how Lava Jato—an anti-corruption operation with a regional reach—as well as the consequences for Brazilians' faith in democracy. Moro also responded to criticisms of how people have been targeted by the Lava Jato investigation, saying his team has investigated politicians on the left and right. "Sometimes people have illusions about some idols and sometimes it's time for people to realize the truth," said Moro.

Speakers:

• Eduardo Engel, Professor of Economics, University of Chile; Former Chairman, Presidential Advisory Council on Conflicts of Interest, Influence Peddling, and Corruption in the Bachelet administration
• Néstor Humberto Martínez, Attorney General, Colombia
• Rodrigo Janot, Professor, Universidad de los Andes; former Attorney General, Brazil
• Iván Velásquez, Commissioner, Comisión Internacional contra la Impunidad en Guatemala (CICIG)
• José Ugaz, Former Chair, Transparency International
• Shannon K. O’Neil, Vice President, Senior fellow for Latin America Studies, Council on Foreign Relations (moderator)

At Americas Quarterly's conference about the fight against corruption in Latin America, leaders heading investigations that cracked down on corruption at the highest levels of government talked about what these operations accomplished in Latin America and the lessons learned in recent years. Although millions of people took to the streets against corruption across the region, as Transparency International's José Ugaz explained, panelists agreed that having an independent judiciary, proper communication, and following the money with the help of external actors are all crucial. The next steps, said panelists, would be working on structural changes with all levels of government and engaging the private sector in better compliance and regulation.

Speakers:

• Geert Aalbers, Senior Partner, Control Risks
• Thelma Aldana, Attorney General, Guatemala
• Alan Clutterbuck, President and Co-founder, Fundación Red de Acción Política
• Claudio X. González, President and Co-Founder, Mexicanos contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad
• Sérgio Moro, Federal Judge, Brazil
• Brian Winter, Vice President of Policy, AS/COA; Editor-in-Chief, Americas Quarterly (moderator)

What are the next steps and policies needed to continue making gains on anti-corruption movements in Latin America? At the Americas Quarterly's conference, experts and Latin American leaders from Brazil, Guatemala, and Mexico discussed measures needed in the public and private sectors, as well as changes in societies' culture. Top issues, panelists concurred, include rooting out illicit financing of political parties and campaigns. collaborating with international agencies, and ensuring freedom of the press.

Speakers:

• Antonio Carlos Welter, Brazilian prosecutor, senior member of the Lava Jato unit investigating crimes at Petrobras
• Iván Velásquez, Colombian prosecutor, head of the UN-backed investigative body CICIG in Guatemala 
• Thelma Aldana, Guatemalan attorney general
• José Ugaz, Peruvian jurist, global chair of Transparency International 
• Brian Winter, Editor-in-Chief, Americas Quarterly; Vice President, Policy, Americas Society/Council of the Americas (moderator)

Top leaders fighting corruption in Latin America discussed how operations such as Lava Jato in Brazil and the CICIG in Guatemala work in practice, what is changing in the region, and the institutional reforms needed to make systemic graft a thing of the past.  

In its latest issue, Americas Quarterly identifies five "corruption busters" from Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru. Their stories of persistence define the anti-corruption work sweeping much of the region, resulting in stronger democracies, judicial systems, and civic engagement. Read the complete profile of Latin America’s Top Five Corruption Busters.

In its latest issue, Americas Quarterly spotlights how a new generation of prosecutors and activists is making historic progress in the battle against graft—and jailing those responsible, no matter how powerful. The magazine identified five "corruption busters" from Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru. Their stories of persistence define the anti-corruption work sweeping much of the region, resulting from stronger democracies, judicial systems, and civic engagement.

Citing recent cases in Brazil, Guatemala, and Honduras, José Ugaz, Peruvian jurist and global chair of Transparency International, says the shift "reflects a trend in the region in order to confront corruption." The trend might change the course of Latin American politics and business for good. 

• Read the complete profile of Latin America’s Top Five Corruption Busters.
• Watch a live event with AQ's corruption busters on February 9.

El jefe del grupo de trabajo de Anticorrupción de AS/COA Roberto Simon habló con Cuestión de Poder de NTN24 sobre el nuevo Índice Capacidad para Combatir la Corrupción, realizado en conjunto con la firma Control Risks.

Simon explicó por qué Brasil ocupa el segundo lugar del índice. "Lo que hicimos fue desarrollar una herramienta que evalúa la capacidad de los países de sacar a la luz, castigar y detener la corrupción. En ese sentido, Brasil es un país que tiene algo muy distinto porque tiene instrumentos legales muy fuertes para combatir la corrupción, pero también un sistema político poco desarrollado". "Brasil está en primer lugar en términos de su capacidad de investigar, de los acuerdos internacionales. Pero en términos de sus reglas de financiamiento de campañas políticas, de lobby o de lo que es necesario para pasar una ley en el congreso, Brasil está en niveles similares que otros países de la región como Perú, México y otros", dijo Simon.

Ante la pregunta de si es realista pensar que hay que evitar la corrupción para no tener que combatirla, Simon respondió que sacarla por completo es imposible, ya que en todo el mundo existe. "La cuestión para América Latina es cómo reducir de manera sustancial el problema de la corrupción y crear mecanismos de control más fuertes. Si desarrollamos mecanismos más transparentes, más eficientes y más republicanos, sin duda eso baja el riesgo de la corrupción. Ese es uno de los componentes que revisamos en el índice, pero también es importante decir que la capacidad para combatir efectivamente, no solo de prevenir, de poner gente en la cárcel, eso hace mucha diferencia en la lucha contra la corrupción. Es muy importante que la región siga haciendo progreso en ese sentido", dijo finalmente el co-autor del reporte.

Roberto Simon, el jefe del Grupo de Trabajo de Anti Corrupción de AS/COA habló con la Voz de América sobre el nuevo índice Capacidad para Combatir la Corrupción de AS/COA y Control Risks. En un evento sobre corrupción en Latinoamérica organizado por AS/COA, Simon se refirió a algunas de las variables consideradas para este estudio: "Desde la independencia del poder judicial, hasta la existencia del periodismo investigativo, la calidad de las leyes para combatir los crímenes de cuello blanco". En el evento también participó Mercedes de Freitas, directora ejecutiva de Transparencia Venezuela, quien habló sobre la corrupción en el país. "Todo es una oportunidad de corrupción (en Venezuela). Por supuesto PDVSA es como la madre porque es la que genera los grandes recursos del estado", dijo de Freitas.