El Taller: Cuba, Iran and the Wounded Empire with Hilary Goodfriend
In the second part of this El Taller conversation, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth continue their wide-ranging discussion with Hilary Goodfriend, a postdoctoral researcher at UNAM and specialist in Central American politics.
The conversation turns to the geopolitical fallout from the U.S. war in Iran and what it could mean for Latin America. With Lindsey Graham publicly declaring “Cuba is next” and U.S. military action already underway in Ecuador, the hosts and Goodfriend consider whether a bloodied empire will retreat or lash out at smaller powers, a pattern with deep roots in Central American history.
They also examine the economic vulnerabilities of the region, from remittance-dependent economies like El Salvador to Mexico’s complex position in USMCA negotiations. The discussion traces how decades of U.S.-funded NGO-ization depoliticized social movements, leaving a vacuum that far-right figures like Bukele have exploited—and what lessons progressive governments in Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil might draw from Central America’s recent history.
Throughout, the conversation returns to a central tension facing left governments today: the pressure to moderate in the face of destabilization versus the need to mobilize and deliver for the base that brought them to power.
-
Dialogue Between Lutnick and President Sheinbaum Will Be Useful in Trade Negotiations, Ebrard Says
Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard called the U.S. commerce chief’s meeting with Sheinbaum cordial as both countries prepare a fourth round of USMCA review talks this month.
-
Mexico Has Paid 1.6 Trillion Pesos on the Fobaproa Bank Bailout, yet the Debt Keeps Growing: “A Scam,” Says the Finance Secretary
A 1990s bailout that turned private bank losses into public debt. Serviced with interest alone, it now claims 48 billion pesos of the 2027 budget.
-
Mexico Turns to China as U.S. Threats Mount – Soberanía 123
Mexico’s foreign minister visits China as Beijing backs its sovereignty, the 2027 economic package targets tax-evading “factureras,” and Televisa peddles a dubious smear against a Morena senator.
