From D.C. Across the Americas: The Debt and Climate Crisis with Ivana Vasic Lalovic
The IMF and World Bank spring meetings highlighted a fresh downgrade in global growth, driven by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the resulting energy shock that disproportionately burdens developing economies. The discussion centered on a dual crisis: soaring debt payments and escalating climate vulnerability across the Global South. Seventy‑five developing nations are already in or on the brink of debt distress, diverting scarce public funds away from education, health and infrastructure. Of those, 61 are classified as highly climate‑vulnerable, meaning that every extreme weather event forces additional borrowing, deepening a vicious cycle of indebtedness and reduced disaster preparedness. The panel cited Pakistan, Sri Lanka and numerous African states as stark examples of countries caught between debt servicing and climate response. It also promoted Seer’s debt‑and‑climate dashboard, which tracks debt burdens and climate risk for 118 nations, and announced a civil‑society policy forum on Capitol Flight and IMF surveillance. Analysts argue that without comprehensive reforms—debt cancellation, relief measures, and a new allocation of Special Drawing Rights—the debt‑climate spiral will intensify, threatening development gains and global stability.
From D.C. Across the Americas: Colombia Exits ISDS with Paola Jaimes Santamaría
Colombia announced it will begin withdrawing from the Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) system, a move timed just weeks before the country co‑hosts an international conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels in Santa Marta. ISDS lets foreign investors sue governments...
From D.C. Across the Americas: Ecuador-Colombia Tensions with Andres Arauz
The video examines the sudden flare‑up between Ecuador and Colombia after a bomb, allegedly launched from Ecuadorian soil, killed 27 Colombian citizens. It links the incident to the United States’ Status‑of‑Force Agreement (SOFA) that grants U.S. military and civilian personnel...
From D.C. Across the Americas: Ecuador's Authoritarian Descent with Guillaume Long
The video outlines Ecuador’s rapid slide toward authoritarianism under President Daniel Noir, highlighted by the nine‑month suspension of the historic Citizens Revolution party ahead of the 2027 local elections. This political crackdown coincides with a foreign‑policy pivot that reduces Ecuador’s diplomatic agenda...
From D.C. Across the Americas: Trump's Miami Summit with Alex Main
The Center for Economic and Policy Research’s Alex Main previewed the "Shield of the Americas" summit scheduled for March 7 at Trump National Doral Golf Course in Miami. The gathering will bring President Trump together with roughly ten Latin American heads...
From D.C. Across the Americas: Venezuela Sanctions with Francisco Rodríguez
The video examines how U.S. sanctions have driven Venezuela’s dramatic economic decline, arguing that they account for more than half of the country’s 71% contraction between 2012 and 2020 – the deepest peacetime downturn on record. Research cited in the...
From D.C. Across the Americas: Cuba's Oil Siege with Francesca Emanuele
The video spotlights the United States’ oil blockade on Cuba, framing it as a deliberate energy siege designed to cripple the island’s economy and precipitate regime change. It argues that the embargo, now intensified under the Trump administration, constitutes...
From D.C. Across the Americas: U.S. Sanctions with Mark Weisbrot
The video argues that U.S. sanctions wield unparalleled power over the global financial system, turning economic coercion into a lethal tool that rivals armed conflict in its human cost. Researchers at the Center for Economic and Policy Research estimate 564,000 deaths...