Fentanyl and other opioids are fueling the worst drug crisis in the history of the United States. According to the CDC, 107,375 people in the United States died of drug overdoses and drug poisonings in the 12-month period ending in January 2022. A staggering 67 percent of those deaths involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Furthermore, synthetic opioid-involved death rates increased by over 56% from 2019 to 2020 and accounted for over 82% of all opioid-involved deaths in 2020. The rate of ove

Talk about relations with Mexico and North American Cooperation

President López Obrador laughed at the idea of Biden looking into Mexico’s electoral politics, but experts say Washington is surely keeping a close eye on recent reforms.

MEXICO CITY (CN) — Mexico’s president Friday openly mocked and laughed at news that the United States Congress tasked President Joe Biden with assessing changes to its southern neighbor's electoral system.

“You think the president of the United States has that on his agenda? He doesn’t even know about it,” said President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador...

A group of retired ambassadors, all of whom served as chief of mission at the US Embassy in Afghanistan, have written a letter to congressional leaders pushing them to include the Afghan Adjustment Act in the omnibus spending bill.

The legislation “keeps our deep and binding commitments we made to our wartime allies. This is a moral imperative but also ensures we will find future allies in conflicts to come,” former ambassadors Ryan Crocker, Ronald E. Neumann, William Wood, Earl Anthony Wayne,

Retired U.S. Ambassadors who led in Afghanistan Since 2001 Urge Congress to Pass Afghan Adjustment Act

Former Chiefs of Mission Pushing Congress to Include Legislation in Omnibus Spending Bill

Washington DC – Nearly every U.S. ambassador assigned to Afghanistan since 2001 has signed on to a letter urging Congress to include the Afghan Adjustment Act in the omnibus spending bill.

“This legislation is essential to do right by those who fought with us and to save a small shred of our national ho

Involving nearly every government agency and encompassing collaboration at the federal, state, and local levels, the United States-Mexico bilateral relationship is one of the most complex global partnerships. This makes the stewardship of the relationship complicated and challenging, requiring skillful diplomacy within our countries and across the shared border. In recognition of bicentennial anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Mexico, join the Mexico Institute on December 14 from 1:30 to 3:00 pm for a discussion with former US and Mexican ambassadors to discuss their experiences in the practice of diplomacy and their applicability for the future of the bilateral relationship. Ambassador Roberta Lajous, moderator, Mexican Ambassadors Arturo Sarukhan, Miguel Basenez, Gernoimo Gutierrez, and Martha Barcena, also joined by Mexico Institute Director, Andrew Rudman

Tuesday, December 13, 2022
Japan, United States, and Cooperation with the New Latin America

Private sector, former-government, and academic experts discussed opportunities for companies to engage with Latin American governments. Speakers
Barbara Kotschwar, Executive Director, Visa Economic Empowerment Institute, Visa U.S.A. Inc.
Erick Langer, Professor of Latin American History, and former Director of the Center for Latin American Studies, Georgetown University
Amparo Mercader, Tax Partner, Transfer Pricing, PwC US
Shohei Tada, Deputy Director General, Latin America, Japan International Cooperation Agency
Earl Anthony Wayne, Distinguished Diplomat in Residence, School of International Service, American University, and former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico and Argentina
Eric Farnsworth, Vice President, Americas Society/Council of the Americas (moderator)

“Compared to other regions like Africa and the Middle East, the private sector in Latin America is mature and many companies are ready to engage in social business in the region,” said Shohei Tada, Deputy Director General for Latin America at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in a Council of the Americas discussion on areas of cooperation where governments can partner with the private sector to reduce inequality, increase economic development, and strengthen democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean. Tada’s remarks focused on how JICA, with private sector cooperation, provides technical and financial cooperation to stimulate development in the region. Erick Langer, a professor of Latin American history at Georgetown University, cited Japan as a great partner for governments in the region. He said, “Japan is the Asian power that understands Latin America, thus can aid the region's societies in much more productive and sophisticated ways.” He referenced Japanese investment strategies and democratic values as positives for the country's engagement with the region.

Governments in Latin America and the Caribbean have the potential to benefit from nearshoring or friendshoring. “Mexico is well-positioned to benefit from nearshoring as a key partner in USMCA,” said Amparo Mercader, Tax Partner at PwC US. Supply chains are still a concern for many companies coming out of the pandemic, and opportunities exist for Latin America to gain investment by some manufacturing and production moving closer to markets in North America. The region also stands to gain by partnering with the private sector in the areas of financial inclusion and digital transformation. The region has made progress in these areas but needs to do more to avoid stagnation. “Learn from the mistakes of the 1980s and avoid protectionism, in this case digital protectionism,” said Barbara Kotschwar, executive director at the Visa Economic Empowerment Institute. Kotschwar acknowledged that the region has become a champion of fintechs. Another bright spot is Latin America’s green energy potential. “Boards of companies are now looking to see if countries are making greener energy investments,” said Earl Anthony Wayne, former U.S. ambassador to Mexico and Argentina. He said it is an important factor in how successful Mexico will be in attracting more of its potential new investment. Private sector engagement with countries in the region has the potential to create opportunities for economic growth.

I was very happy to join this panel discussion of the state of USMCA and the agenda for moving forward. This panel was part of the meeting of the North American Forum held at the Institute of the Americas at UC San Diego on November 14. I joined virtually.

I moderated a conversation among experts on Afghanistan of the Informal Group on Afghanistan that Rohullah Osmani and I have organized and led since 2106.

Nov 01
Book Talk: Eye on the World: A Life in International Service
Book Talk: Two ambassadors discuss Amb. Anthony Quainton's Eye on the World: A Life in International Service with the author.
Bythe School of International Service
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When and where
Date and time
Tue, November 1, 2022, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM EDT
Location
School of International Service American University 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC, DC 20016

About this event
Book Talk: Eye on the World: A Life in International Service
A Conversation with Ambassador Anthony Quainton, Ambassador Tony Wayne, and Ambassador Piper Campbell
Using four-time Ambassador Anthony Quainton's recently released book as a launch point, the three ambassadors will discuss what it's like to serve as "the personal representative of the President", what aspects of the job have changed overtime, what remains constant. They will also touch on relations between Washington and the field, and the interagency aspects of the job. This is a great opportunity for students interested in careers in international service to hear directly from three of SIS's own. This event is part of SIS's "Ambassadors Close Up" series.
The event will be in person in the Abramson Family Founders Room in the SIS building. There will be light refreshments before the talk begins at 4:00 PM.