The Americas

Students will examine how USMCA will affect political and economic relations among the three countries before considering the next steps necessary to create and govern a single continental market in North America.

and dependency theory through the rise of authoritarian regimes to the more recent studies on democratic transitions, neoliberal politics and economics and the consolidation of democratic regimes. Required introductory course for all LASP students.

Topics will include the region's efforts to seize trade opportunities in the Pacific, including Chile's unsung role in resurrecting the Trans-Pacific Partnership following the US withdrawal, and the widening ambitions of the Pacific Alliance; Mercosur's bet on a free trade agreement with the European Union; the opportunities and risks of Chinese investment, as the United States aggressively discourages the region from over-dependence on Beijing; the role of Russia, including in arms sales and energy investment; and the region's position as a natural resources juggernaut, from unconventional oil and gas in Argentina to the lithium triangle (Argentina, Bolivia and Chile) that accounts for more than half of the world's supply of the key ingredient in batteries for mobile phones and electric cars.

The functional component covers the politics of oil, natural gas issues, biofuels, energy infrastructure, energy organization and regulation, private and public sector participation, geopolitics and other energy topics. The major players component includes the politics of energy in Canada, Mexico, the United States, the Andean countries, Brazil, the Southern Cone and Venezuela, and also offers a global perspective on the impact of the world’s major energy producers and consumers (i.e. China, India, the Middle East countries and Russia) on the Americas. (This is a cross-listed course offered by the Latin American Studies Program that also can fulfill a requirement for the Energy, Resources & Environment Program).