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Dear Friends and Supporters of the Institute of the Americas, The first quarter of 2026 has made clear that the Americas are entering a period of profound geopolitical realignment. The United States’ military actions against Iran- and uncertainty surrounding global energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz have triggered the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market according to the International Energy Agency, prompting its recent call for immediate actions to reduce fossil fuel demand including working from home, encouraging public transport and reducing air travel among other measures. |
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Recent developments in the Middle East elevate the strategic importance of our hemisphere. Here, energy security, supply chain resilience, and regional cooperation are no longer long-term aspirations; they are immediate imperatives shaping U.S. engagement across the Americas. At the same time, U.S. policy within the hemisphere is evolving in complex and sometimes contradictory ways. In Venezuela, Washington has moved to ease sanctions and actively encourage foreign investment in the energy sector, including through new licensing frameworks and support for upstream development, in part to stabilize global oil markets. This pragmatic approach reflects Venezuela’s renewed relevance in a constrained global energy environment, reinforced by the country’s new hydrocarbons law designed to attract international capital. At the same time, the country’s prospects for a democratic transition remain in question as the Maduro regime is effectively still in charge, frustrating many members of the Venezuelan diaspora. Read more |
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Energy Outlook: Powering 2026 |
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Our annual outlook report, Powering 2026, tackles a central question: which energy sources can deliver power at scale — reliably, competitively, and sustainably? In the report, IOA's Non-Resident Fellows explore pressing issues including market design, clean energy competitiveness, fossil fuels, and regional power dynamics, reflecting an energy transition moving from ambition to the complex realities of implementation, trade-offs, and system constraints. Also featured are contributions from graduate students at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy & Strategy (GPS), participants in our Future Energy Leaders Initiative (FELI). Dowload Report » |
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Webinar: Venezuela’s New Hydrocarbon Law |
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Convened in partnership with the Center for Energy Studies at the Baker Institute, the webinar brought together leading legal and policy experts to assess the reform of Venezuela's oil framework approved by the National Assembly on January 29. Panelists highlighted investor-friendly provisions — including greater contractual and fiscal flexibility, economic equilibrium clauses, and potential arbitration pathways — while underscoring persistent risks related to government discretion, the absence of an independent regulator, and ongoing PDVSA counterparty exposure. |
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The conversation also emphasized the decisive role of U.S. sanctions policy, OFAC licensing, and broader U.S.–Venezuela relations in shaping investment outcomes. Watch Full Recording |
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Podcast: Venezuela After Maduro - Cautious Optimism Meets Reality |
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As part of the IOA podcast series, Jeremy Martin spoke with Simon Romero — longtime New York Times correspondent and one of the most experienced journalists covering Venezuela and Latin America — for a timely conversation on Venezuela's uncertain "day after" Maduro. Their discussion explores where the country stands weeks into a political transition, the prospects for meaningful reform, and the role oil may play in stabilization and recovery. They also examine governance and security challenges, public sentiment, and key signposts to watch over the next six to twelve months as Venezuela navigates a narrow but consequential window for change.
Listen to this Podcast » |
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A Region Under Watch: Latin America in the Age of Strategic Competition |
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Non-Resident Fellow Thiago de Aragao offers a sweeping outlook on Latin America for 2026 in his essay, A Region Under Watch: Latin America in the Age of Strategic Competition. He examines a region navigating weak growth, social strain, and institutional limits amid intensifying U.S.–China competition, shifting global supply chains, divergent national trajectories, and the evolving regional consequences of Venezuela’s political transition. Read Essay » |
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Podcast: Jose Antonio Kast Takes Office in Chile |
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On March 11, Jose Antonio Kast was sworn in as the new president of Chile. To better understand this pivotal moment, Jeremy Martin spoke with Patricia Garip, Regional Editor at Bloomberg News in Santiago. Chile is the world's largest copper producer, a critical player when it comes to lithium, and a country whose energy and economic policy choices are crucial for investors, trading partners, and the broader region. Tune in for insights on the election, the transition, and what the Kast government's agenda means for Chile's economy, energy sector, and critical minerals.
Listen to this Podcast » |
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Leading a Conversation on Alternative Fuels for Mexico's Maritime Industry and the Role of the IMO |
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On February 19th, the Rocky Mountain Institute and Manuia convened a high-level Forum on Regional Cooperation for Sustainable Maritime Transport where SEMAR, SRE, SEMARNAT, SENER, SHCP, INECC, industry leaders like CAMEINTRAM and FEMSA, and experts from the IOA, WWF, UMAS and UNAM discussed Mexico’s maritime sustainability agenda. The IOA’s Elizabeth Mosqueda guided a conversation on Mexico’s ongoing studies on alternative fuels and its active engagement at the IMO, while acknowledging the challenges brought on by institutional fragmentation, goal misalignment between sectors, regulatory uncertainty, as well as opportunities for access to climate finance. |
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Environment Lead Participates in Mexico's National Meeting of Underwater Noise |
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IOA’s Environment Program Lead, Elizabeth Mosqueda, participated in Mexico's National Meeting on Underwater Noise, held on 20 February 2026 at Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This one-day event brought together key national and international institutions to advance Mexico’s readiness for the IMO’s GloNoise Partnership and strengthened interinstitutional dialogue that contributes towards a shared understanding of existing capacities, regulatory gaps, and national needs. Participants included the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP), Secretaría de Marina (SEMAR), and representatives from academia and civil society. |
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Our New Strategic Partnerships |
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- The IOA is now part of the Technical Group of the Sustainable Finance Taxonomies Observatory. This group is co-led by GFLAC (an NGO advancing climate finance transparency) and CCAP, a climate policy think tank, where members exchange experiences with the goal of strengthening sustainable taxonomies in the region. To learn more about this initiative click here.
- The IOA has joined the San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative (SDRCC), a U.S.-based network that connects the region to advance climate change solutions that mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change. SDRCC operates primarily in Southern California while integrating a binational lens for coastal and water issues. Its programs focus on energy efficiency, coastal resilience, water conservation, adaptation planning, and capacity building and promote coordinated and collaborative solutions across jurisdictions. Members engage in working groups, trainings, newsletters, funding resources, and leadership opportunities, positioning SDRCC as a hub for regional climate action.
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IOA releases issue paper: Critical Minerals - The Western Hemisphere’s Opportunity |
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Our new paper highlights the region’s role in building resilient critical mineral supply chains. Following the February 4, 2026 U.S. Critical Minerals Ministerial that convened representatives from more than 50 countries in Washington, the report argues that 2026 could be a defining year for how materials like copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, rare earth elements, antimony, potash, and manganese are produced and processed. It identifies key chokepoints, especially in midstream processing, and outlines practical steps including faster permitting, investment incentives, coordinated trade frameworks, and stronger ESG and traceability standards to unlock hemispheric cooperation. Read Paper » |
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Podcast: Key Findings of our Critical Minerals Paper |
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We have also released a new podcast episode exploring the findings of our report, Critical Minerals: The Western Hemisphere’s Opportunity, and what they mean for energy security, industrial policy, and geopolitics across the Americas. Christopher Nyce and Mateo Micucci join Duncan Wood examine growing supply‑chain concentration, permitting and ESG challenges, and why 2026 may prove to be a pivotal year as governments and markets confront increasingly urgent decisions on critical minerals development. Listen to this Podcast » |
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IOA Lays Groundwork to Launch CaliBaja North American Leadership Academy |
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IOA is in the process of developing the CaliBaja North American Leadership Academy, a ten‑month program designed to build a cross‑border network of emerging leaders from San Diego and Imperial Counties and Baja California. |
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The Academy, intended to be launched before year end, will work to equip participants with the skills, knowledge, and relationships needed to advance economic competitiveness, workforce development, environmental sustainability, innovation, and public policy across border regions. Grounded in the idea that lasting cooperation depends on trust and shared identity, the Academy also integrates culture, the arts, and sports to strengthen people‑to‑people connections and support deeper regional collaboration across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. |
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Gigli Scholarship Fund Established to Promote Expanded U.S-Argentinean Scientific Exchange |
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Thanks to the generous support of donor, Dr. Irma Gigli, the Gigli Argentina Travel Scholarship Fund was recently established at IOA. A native of Cordoba, Argentina, Dr. Gigli is a Professor Emerita at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Dr. Gigli established the scholarship fund with the goal of enabling graduate students from Argentinean universities to participate in educational and professional exchanges with UC San Diego and IOA with an emphasis in the environment and climate sciences. The first travel scholarship recipients will be two Argentinean scholars participating in an educational/professional exchange this summer with Scripps Institution of Oceanography Professor, Martin Tresguerres, PhD and the Tresguerres Lab with research focused on environmental and metabolic changes linked to changes in carbon dioxide on the physiology of aquatic organisms including marine invertebrates, marine mammals and fisheries. |
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We are thrilled to welcome new members to the Institute of the Americas. Their experience across government, diplomacy, business, and environmental policy strengthens our mission to advance cooperation and sustainable development across the hemisphere. |
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Luis Guillermo Plata Partner at Axon Partners Group, Luis Guillermo brings extensive experience across government, finance, and private equity. As a former Minister of Trade, Industry, and Tourism of Colombia and Ambassador to Spain, he has played a key role in advancing international investment and trade, and now focuses on energy transition projects across Latin America. Read Full Bio » |
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Shane Christensen Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer at PriceSmart, Inc., Shane brings deep regional expertise from his two decades as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer and leadership in sustainability and stakeholder engagement across the Americas. Based in San Diego, he previously served as the first U.S. Diplomatic Fellow at the Institute of the Americas.
Read Full Bio » |
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Doug Liden With more than three decades of experience advancing wastewater, drinking water, stormwater, and water reuse solutions along the U.S.–Mexico border, Doug brings unparalleled expertise in cross-border water governance, infrastructure finance, and binational environmental diplomacy. Following a distinguished 34-year career with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—including leadership on projects that shaped some of the most significant U.S.–Mexico environmental agreements—Doug will support IOA’s Environment Program efforts to foster sustainable water solutions and environmental cooperation across the Americas. Read Full Bio » |
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Guido Maiulini Guido currently serves as Head of Strategic Advisory at OLACDE - Organización Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Energía, where he leads the political and institutional strategy with a focus on hashtag#energy transitions in Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to joining OLACDE, he served as an official of the Foreign Service of Argentina, holding positions in the cabinets of the Minister and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs. Throughout his career, he has worked across Asia and Latin America, gaining broad expertise in the political and diplomatic dimensions of energy integration and its role in combating climate change. Read Full Bio » |
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Minerales Críticos: Argentina, EE. UU. y la Oportunidad del Hemisferio Occidental April 10
Buenos Aires, Argentina |
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Madrid Energy Conference Where Europe and the Americas meet for energy dialogue April 27-29
Madrid, Spain |
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Data Centers & Energía en México
Confiabilidad y Mapeo de la Oferta y la Demanda
May 14
Mexico City, Mexico |
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Foro de Energía Chile 2026
El gobierno del Presidente Kast a los 100 días July 9
Santiago, Chile |
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XXXV La Jolla Energy Conference
35 years at the center of the energy debate October 13-15
La Jolla, California |
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Institute of the Americas
10111 North Torrey Pines Road, | La Jolla, California 92037
858-453-5560 | [email protected] |
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