"Today, the Maduro regime threatens the peace and security of the entire region," said U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley at the 48th Annual Washington Conference on the Americas. She said "the time for talking is over" and called the country's upcoming elections a sham. Haley talked about rule of law and democracy as pre-conditions for economic growth in the Americas and also brough attention to protests in Nicaragua questioning President Daniel Ortega's rule.

• Get additional materials from the 48th Washington Conference on the Americas.
• Read Ambassador Haley's remarks. 

Panelistas:

• Asdrúbal Oliveros, Director and Partner, Ecoanalítica
• Luisa Palacios, Managing Director for Latin America, Medley Global Advisors
• David Smolansky, Exiled former Mayor of El Hatillo, Venezuela
• Brian Winter, Editor-in-Chief of Americas Quarterly; Vice President of Policy at AS/COA (moderator)

Días previos a la elección del 20 de mayo, tres destacados panelistas analizaron el panorama económico y político en Venezuela—y lo que le espera al país en el futuro. En el panel el 14 de mayo en Nueva York, los expertos hablaron de las condiciones necesarias para que salga Nicolás Maduro del poder, las expectativas de las elecciones ilegítimas que se aproximan, y los desafíos que enfrenta el país cuando llegue al punto de reconstrucción.

• Lea la última edición de la revista de Americas Quarterly sobre Venezuela.
• Aprenda sobre el grupo de trabajo de AS/COA de Venezuela.

Panelists

• Richard Francis, Director of Sovereign Ratings, Fitch Ratings
• Diego García-Devis, Senior Program Officer, Open Society Foundations
• Muni Jensen, Senior Advisor, Albright Stonebridge Group
• Adriana La Rotta, Senior Director, Media Relations, Americas Society and Council of the Americas (moderator)

"Petro isn’t going anywhere, regardless of if he wins or loses in 2018," said Albright Stonebridge Group's Muni Jensen in this panel at AS/COA in New York about Colombia's upcoming elections. Particpants discussed the changing state of politics in the country ahead of the presidential vote. They covered who's supporting leading candidate Iván Duque and how Gustavo Petro, who polls second, has pushed the electorate and other candidates towards more progressive views. Panelists also looked beyond the election and what the winning candidate will face in terms of security, drug eradication, and economic opportunities for all Colombians.

Panelists:

• Alonso Cervera, Chief Economist for Latin America, Credit Suisse 
• Antonio Ortiz-Mena, Senior Vice President, Albright Stonebridge Group
• Jorge Suárez-Vélez, Columnist, Reforma and CNN
• Lisa Schineller, Managing Director, S&P Global Ratings (moderator)

The worst thing that could happen for Mexico's exchange rate would be a victory by the ruling party's José Antonio Meade, not a win by populist frontrunner Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO). If the governing PRI wins 2 of 9 gubernatorial races, it should count itself lucky. One bright spot in the midst of this election cycle is agreement that something needs to be done about Mexico's stubbornly high poverty levels.

These were some of the comments traded during AS/COA's panel on Mexico's highly contentious 2018 election. Watch the video for insights on the truth about polling, what an AMLO victory could mean for the energy sector, and bright spots for Mexico despite a fierce electoral battle.  

Development of major Latin American cities during the nineteenth century involved looking to Paris as a model for urbanism, building parks and open avenues, and searching for national identity. The Metropolis in Latin America, 1830-1930, on view at Americas Society in New York, shows how these issues shaped the architecture of of six major capitals in the region. 

The images, videos, and maps portray trasnformations that were crucial to characterizing Buenos Aires, Havana, Rio de Janeiro, and Santiago. "Even today, with the current transformation, you recognize, for instance, the significance of...the introduction of urban space such as parks for leisure," explains Maristela Casciato, one of the curators of the exhibition.

Immigration was another force behind new architecture ideals in Latin America. "By the beginning of the twentieth Century, 50 percent of the population in Buenos Aires are people from abroad...so that makes the intellectuals think about 'ok, we have all these people from outside, we need to frame what our own identity is," says curator Idurre Alonso.

Organized by the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles, the exhibition is on view through June 30.

• The Metropolis in Latin America, 1830-1930
• Explore more about this exhibition.

Video: Luisa Leme, Americas Society/Council of the Americas
Exhibition Photos: Beatriz Meseguer
Soundtrack: Amadeo Roldán with Rítmica no. 1, Alejandro García Caturla with Comparsa, and Revueltas with Ocho por Radio, all performed at Americas Society in New York. Learn more about upcoming concerts at musicoftheamericas.org