Brian Winter is the editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly and the vice president of policy for Americas Society and Council of the Americas. With more than 25 years following Latin American politics and business, he has been described as “one of the best chroniclers and analysts” of the region by Foreign Affairs, and “the best foreign expert on Brazil of this moment” by GloboNews. Brian lived for a decade in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico as a journalist for Reuters before joining AS/COA in New York in 2015. His books include Why Soccer Matters, a New York Times bestseller he wrote with the Brazilian soccer legend Pelé; The Accidental President of Brazil, co-written with President Fernando Henrique Cardoso; and The Ugliest City You’ll Ever Love, a book about São Paulo to be published in early 2026. Brian speaks frequently about Latin America to AS/COA members, media, universities and other audiences around the world. A graduate of the University of Texas, he speaks Portuguese and Spanish and is a prolific barbecuer and cook. Follow him on social media @BrazilBrian.
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Episode 456
Brian Winter
Trump’s New Strategy for Latin America: Venezuela, Cuba, & the ‘Donroe Doctrine’ | Brian Winter
Brian Winter is the editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly and the vice president of policy for Americas Society and Council of the Americas. With more than 25 years following Latin American politics and business, he has been described as “one of the best chroniclers and analysts” of the region by Foreign Affairs, and “the best foreign expert on Brazil of this moment” by GloboNews. Brian lived for a decade in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico as a journalist for Reuters before joining AS/COA in New York in 2015. His books include Why Soccer Matters, a New York Times bestseller he wrote with the Brazilian soccer legend Pelé; The Accidental President of Brazil, co-written with President Fernando Henrique Cardoso; and The Ugliest City You’ll Ever Love, a book about São Paulo to be published in early 2026. Brian speaks frequently about Latin America to AS/COA members, media, universities and other audiences around the world. A graduate of the University of Texas, he speaks Portuguese and Spanish and is a prolific barbecuer and cook. Follow him on social media @BrazilBrian.
Episode 456 is the eleventh installment in the Hundred Year Pivot podcast series. In it, Demetri Kofinas and Grant Williams speak with the editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly, Brian Winter. He’s an expert on Latin America, having lived and worked in Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico, and possesses a deep understanding of the region’s politics, economics, and security dynamics.
The three of them begin their conversation discussing the Trump administration’s almost cinematic removal of Nicolás Maduro from power in Venezuela. They speculate about who is currently in charge of the country, the implications of Maduro’s exit for Venezuela’s economy and the region’s geopolitics, the rising tide of right-wing political movements across Latin America, and how this operation fits into the Trump administration’s broader initiatives as they have been conveyed in the new National Security Strategy.
They also explore the rising tide of right-wing political movements across Latin America, the role of organized crime in driving political change, how demographic shifts and artificial intelligence might reshape the region’s future, and the unique role that Trump’s National security adviser and secretary of state Marco Rubio has played in shaping US foreign policy in Latin America and whether Cuba and its communist government is next on the administration’s list of seemingly every-expanding targets.
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Brian Winter is the editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly and the vice president of policy for Americas Society and Council of the Americas. With more than 25 years following Latin American politics and business, he has been described as “one of the best chroniclers and analysts” of the region by Foreign Affairs, and “the best foreign expert on Brazil of this moment” by GloboNews. Brian lived for a decade in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico as a journalist for Reuters before joining AS/COA in New York in 2015. His books include Why Soccer Matters, a New York Times bestseller he wrote with the Brazilian soccer legend Pelé; The Accidental President of Brazil, co-written with President Fernando Henrique Cardoso; and The Ugliest City You’ll Ever Love, a book about São Paulo to be published in early 2026. Brian speaks frequently about Latin America to AS/COA members, media, universities and other audiences around the world. A graduate of the University of Texas, he speaks Portuguese and Spanish and is a prolific barbecuer and cook. Follow him on social media @BrazilBrian.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
