Through an in-depth analysis of modern Mexico, Shannon O'Neil provides a roadmap for the United States' greatest overlooked foreign policy challenge of our time--relations with its southern neighbor.

Even as Mexico continues to struggle with grave security threats, its steady rise is transforming the country's economy, society, and political system. Given the Mexico's bright future and the interests it shares with the United States in energy, manufacturing, and security, Washington needs to start seeing its southern neighbor as a partner instead of a problem.

Shannon K. O'Neil says after Republicans' election-year drubbing, the United States has an historic opportunity to fix its broken immigration system. And the arguments against reform simply don't hold up anymore.

Brazen assassinations, kidnappings, and political intimidation by drug lords conjure up images of Colombia in the early 1990s. Yet today it is Mexico that is being engulfed by escalating violence, and U.S. gun laws, immigration rules, drug control and border policies all have exacerbated the problems.

Shannon K. O'Neil writes that, "South American integration has the potential to lessen an unhealthy dynamic within U.S.-Latin America relations."

Shannon K. O'Neil discusses America's influential role in the war on drugs.

Shannon O'Neil writes that "Mexico has a chance to shape the international agenda. It is an opportunity Calderón should not waste."

Shannon K. O'Neil and Sebastian Chaskel write that "the U.S. can improve Colombia's human rights situation by bolstering economic opportunities through the FTA."

This module features teaching notes by CFR Douglas Dillon Fellow for Latin America Studies Shannon K. O'Neil, director of the CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force on Latin America, U.S.-Latin America Relations: A New Direction for a New Reality, along with other resources to supplement the text. This Task Force report offers recommendations for U.S. policy toward Latin America and identifies four crucial areas—poverty and inequality, public security, migration, and energy security—that should provide the basis of a new U.S. approach.

CFR's Latin America Studies Program outlines the implications of the global financial crisis for Latin America.

Not only does the United States affect Latin America, but Latin America increasingly shapes the United States as well says Shannon O’Neil. Yet despite these deepening strategic, economic, cultural and political ties, U.S. policies toward the region have remained relatively unexamined.

This report recommends reframing U.S. policy around four critical areas--poverty and inequality, public security, migration, and energy security--that are of immediate concern to Latin America's governments and citizens. This report is also available in Spanish.

Shannon O'Neil, CFR fellow for Latin America studies, discusses what kind of policies the next president should pursue toward Latin America on energy, public security, immigration, and income inequality.

Shannon O’Neil, CFR’s Mexico expert, says Washington’s $1.4 billion multiyear plan to bolster Mexico’s crackdown on drug and criminal rings, while drawing criticism, is likely to win congressional approval. 

rShannon O’Neil, a CFR expert on Latin America, says President Bush heads for Latin America on March 8 hoping for a “foreign policy success,” but because of his lame duck status, it will be hard for him to achieve very much.