Looking for a quick way to understand Latin America’s biggest stories? You’re in the right place. LatAm Dialogue is a podcast designed to keep English-language audiences up to date on the region. Each month, Sonja and Isabel — along with occasional guests — research and discuss the biggest news and trends shaping Latin America. Episodes are kept short, making them the perfect way to stay informed. Enjoy listening!
Get in touch at: latamdialogue@gmail.com (mailto:latamdialogue@gmail.com)
Brazil’s High-Stakes Election and U.S.-Venezuela Oil Deals
Sonja and Isabel discuss the latest developments in Venezuela’s relationship with Washington, including a major oil deal. They also explain the headlines surrounding the Falkland Islands.
The episode's second half looks at Brazil’s upcoming election — a crucial vote with major implications for the country and the wider region.
28 Aug 2026
Venezuela's negotiations and exploring democracy in LatAm with the UNDP
In this episode, Sonja and Isabel discuss the impact of Colombia’s recent earthquake and examine negotiations held earlier this month between Venezuela’s U.S.-backed government and the opposition.
In the second half, LatAm Dialogue presents a collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme exploring the state of democracy in Latin America, with a particular focus on the impact of organized crime.
UNDP report: https://www.undp.org/latin-america/democracy-and-development-report-2026 (https://www.undp.org/latin-america/democracy-and-development-report-2026)
31 Jul 2026
No more elections in Nicaragua? Plus: is the right back in LatAm?
In this episode, Isabel and Sonja unpack Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's announcement that the country will no longer hold elections, exploring why the move came as little surprise to those following the country's democratic decline. They also speak with Latin America expert Christopher Sabatini about the resurgence of right-wing politics across the region and what it means for Latin America's changing political landscape.
26 Jun 2026
Colombia's Crucial Election, Bolivia Unrest, and World Cup Fever
This episode unpacks Colombia's crucial election, examines the growing unrest in Bolivia, and reflects on the devastating earthquake in Venezuela. It then dives into the political, cultural, and economic forces shaping the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with a particular focus on Mexico's role as a host nation.
18 May 2026
Peru's elections, a big trade deal and Cuba in crisis
This episode explains Peru’s recent high-stakes elections, the signing of a major EU-Mercosur trade deal, and takes a deep dive into Cuba’s ongoing energy crisis, which has made daily life on the island increasingly difficult.
8 Mar 2023
EP14: Mining in Latin America
This episode focuses on Latin America's mining industry and the opportunities but also the negative consequences it has brought the region. Sonja Rijnen, LatAm Dialogue's editor-in-chief, interviews Tom Gatehouse, author of soon-to-be-published book 'The Heart of Our Earth: Community resistance to mining in Latin America'.
10 Oct 2022
EP13: Human Rights Defenders in Latin America
In this episode of LatAm Dialogues, we focus on the situation for human rights defenders in Latin America where it has become increasingly dangerous to protect human rights. We are lucky enough to have the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor as our guest. She also founded the NGO Front Line Defenders and is a global expert on this topic.
4 May 2022
EP12: Russia's relationship with Latin America and the effects of the invasion of Ukraine on the region
Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent war have dominated headlines around the world in recent weeks. In this episode, LatAm Dialogue's team looks into Latin America's historical relationship with Russia with the help of Andre Pagliarini, a professor in Latin American history. We then discuss with Bryan, a political risk analyst from Cuba, what Latin America's immediate response to the invasion was as well as some likely repercussions that the events will have on the region.
13 Apr 2022
EP11: In focus- LGBTQ+ rights in Latin America
We are back with LatAm Dialogues season 2! To kick off this season, we have this in focus episode on LGBTQ+, and specifically transgender, rights in Latin America. First, we speak to Tom, who is writing his thesis on the transmasculine community in Cuba, about where the region is in terms of rights for LGBTQ+ individuals. We then had the pleasure of having Liam on the podcast, a Cuban LGBTQ+ activist and the writer, director and cinematographer of the award winning documentary Mi Alma Azul (https://vimeo.com/424896529 password: LiamyAnabel). He discusses what it is like to be a trans activist in Cuba and the work he has been doing to support the community, including his documentary.
Episode notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qhmkTOUYPcRDhxEQTGTrBx4-k0GIlGoMUtQBRHb6Bak/edit?usp=sharing
18 Dec 2021
EP 10: All important elections in Chile and Honduras
Towards the end of November 2021, both Chileans and Hondurans went to the polls to elect their new Presidents. In the first half of this episode, Isabel discusses these all-important elections in Chile with Carolina, a political activist living in Santiago. It is said that Chileans are more polarised than ever and this Sunday, the 19th of December, they will vote in the second round between two very different (or not so different depending on how you see it) candidates. After this, listen to Lucas interview Jalileh, a student from Honduras who explains who Xiomara Castro is and why her election is significant.
2 Nov 2021
EP 9: Argentina's political crisis & elections and the Pandora Papers
In a few weeks, Argentina will hold mid-term legislative elections. This comes after primaries that were held in September and weeks of political crises. In this episode, LatAm Dialogue editor, Lucas, runs us through what has been happening in the country. After this, Sonja and Isabel discuss the revelations of the Pandora Papers and what this means for Latin America.
6 Oct 2021
EP 8: In focus- abortion rights and the feminist movement in Latin America
Earlier this month, in a historical ruling celebrated by feminists all over the world, Mexico's supreme court decriminalised abortion. In this episode, Sonja and Isabel discuss in more detail what this new legislation actually entails. In the second half of the podcast, Lucas talks with two activists from Latin America about abortion rights and feminist movements more broadly in Argentina, Uruguay and Ecuador as well as the region as a whole.
12 Sept 2021
EP 7: El Salvador's courts rule presidents can serve two consecutive terms and negotiations in Venezuela
In this episode of LatAm Dialogues, a new member to our editorial team, Lucas, interviews an El Salvadorian multi-media journalists about a recent ruling in which El Salvador's highest court decided that the country's president can serve two consecutive terms in office, paving the way for current president Nayib Bukele to run for re-election in 2024. Following this, Isabel talks with Sonja about how recent negotiations have been going between Venezuela's authoritarian ruler, Maduro, and the opposition.
13 Aug 2021
EP 6: Bolsonaro's claims of election fraud and Castillo's eventful first weeks as Peru's president.
In this episode, Sonja talks with Tom Kissock-Mamede about Brazil's president, Bolsonaro's, claims of election fraud. We discuss what he means by this and what the likely consequences are. In the second half, Isabel and Sonja discuss Castillo's chosen cabinet members in Peru and why these have been so controversial.
25 Jul 2021
EP 5: Cuba's first mass protests since the Revolution and the assassination of Haiti's president.
In this episode, Sonja interviews Bryan, a Cuban freelance political risk analyst who helps explain why the protests in Cuba happened now and what it has been like in Havanna over the past few weeks. In the second half, Isabel and Sonja discuss the shocking assassination of Moise, Haiti's president on the 7th of July and the political context of one of the world's poorest countries.
12 Jul 2021
EP 4: In focus- political crackdowns in Nicaragua
Over the past month, Ortega has arrested over 26 members of his opposition in the lead up to elections in November. In this episode, Latam Dialogue's Sonja and Isabel interview two young activists in Nicaragua who explain the context and history that has led to this blatant effort to undermine democracy.
25 Jun 2021
EP 3: El Salvador adopts Bitcoin as a legal tender and Peru's elections
In a world-first, under the leadership of President Bukele, El Salvador passed a law making Bitcoin an official currency in the country. In this episode, we explain what this actually means and what some of the benefits but also drawback this will have for the country. In the second half, we discuss the results of Peru's presidential election held in the beginning of June.
10 Jun 2021
EP 2: Mexico's massive elections and Lasso's inauguration in Ecuador
In this episode, the team at LatAm Dialogue discuss the significance and implications of Mexico's midterm elections in which 93 million people were eligible to vote. Importantly, we discuss the preliminary results and their meaning for president AMLO. In the second part of the episode, Sonja and Carlos discuss the inauguration of Guillermo Lasso, Ecuador's first right-wing president in over a decade.
27 May 2021
EP 1: Chile's referendum and Colombia's mass protests
LatAm Dialogues Episode 1! In this first episode, with the help of Fabien Muñoz, a politics student at PUC in Chile, we explain and discuss the recent referendum in Chile in which citizens elected those who will be drafting their new constitution over the coming months and the implications of this. We also analyse the recent mass protests in Colombia that have made headlines around the world and how the protests fit into regional social and economic trends.
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