Prof. Thomas Legler (Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico) joins Dr. Ivo Ganchev for a wide-ranging discussion of the evolution and current challenges of Latin American regionalism. They revisit the debate between optimists and skeptics, assess the rise and decline of post-hegemonic regionalism, and examine the continuing influence of the United States across the hemisphere. The conversation explores the role and limitations of the Organization of American States, including its democracy-protection model of “intervention without intervening,” and asks why Latin America continues to sustain so many overlapping regional organizations. They also discuss the region’s current fragmentation, the weakness of intra-regional trade and societal ties, and how education, mobility, and stronger cross-border connections could support integration.

Dr. Luis Paulo Batista da Silva (Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil) joins Dr. Ivo Ganchev for the second part of their conversation on water governance, hydropolitics, and regional integration in South America. They examine how external actors, multinational companies, infrastructure projects, privatization, agriculture, mining, and hydropower shape the governance of shared water resources. The discussion also considers how climate change is exposing gaps in existing regional frameworks, why many water conflicts unfold within states and borderlands rather than between countries, and how local and Indigenous knowledge can contribute to more sustainable cooperation.

Dr. Luis Paulo Batista da Silva (Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil) joins Dr. Ivo Ganchev for the first part of their conversation on water governance, hydropolitics, and regional integration in South America. They explore how geography shapes regional integration through territory, border regions, and shared water systems such as the Amazon Basin, the La Plata Basin, and the Guarani Aquifer. The discussion examines the promises and limits of treaties and organizations designed to govern transboundary waters, the difficulties of coordinating across multiple levels of governance, and the role of power asymmetries in cases such as the Itaipu Dam. They close by reflecting on Brazil’s uneven regional leadership and the wider challenge of governing interdependence across borders.

Álvaro Gutiérrez Bendezú (ex-CAN, now at Intrinsĕcus Legal, Perú) joins Dr. Ivo Ganchev for a practitioner-focused conversation on the Andean Community (CAN), trade diplomacy, and regulatory reality in Latin America. Drawing on his experience as an international official at the CAN General Secretariat and as Secretary of the Commission, he explains why disputes can signal institutional vitality and why CAN has endured through common rules, courts, and quiet institutional capacity. They then move from institutions to negotiation, with Álvaro sharing behind-the-scenes lessons from Peru’s early free trade talks, including the intellectual property chapters negotiated with the US and the EU. The episode also explores how intellectual property law is adapting to AI-generated content, and closes with practical advice.

Dr. Humberto Angel Zuñiga Schroder (Universidad del Pacífico, Peru) joins Dr. Ivo Ganchev for a practitioner’s look inside the Andean Community (CAN) and trade-law integration in Latin America. Drawing on his experience in the CAN General Secretariat, he explains how legal procedures and deadlines collide with political imperatives. They assess CAN’s resilience across ideological shifts, debate what “success” should mean, and discuss institutional gaps such as the Andean Parliament’s limited authority. The conversation also covers EU-inspired institutional borrowing, the region’s crowded landscape of trade blocs, and why CAN–MERCOSUR convergence remains unlikely—closing on the WTO dispute-settlement crisis and shifting U.S.–China dynamics.

Dr. Octavio González Miguel Segovia (FLACSO-México) returns for the second part of his conversation with Dr. Ivo Ganchev, focusing on Mexico’s domestic and international challenges. They discuss how Latin America develops its own models of regional integration beyond the EU framework, the role of intra-regional learning, and examples from urban planning and public transport innovation. The episode also examines Mexico’s strategic position as a bridge between North and South America, the impact of U.S. foreign policy under Trump, and the country’s ongoing judiciary reform. Throughout, Octavio shares insights into Mexico’s evolving regional role and the balance between its internal transformations and external pressures.

Dr. Octavio González Miguel Segovia (FLACSO-México) is a researcher specializing in international cooperation, regional governance, and public health policy. In this episode, he joins Dr. Ivo Ganchev for the first part of a two-part conversation on the rise of transgovernmental networks (TGNs) and their growing role in regional cooperation. They discuss how TGNs differ from traditional intergovernmental organizations, drawing on cases like the Global Health Security Initiative (GHSI). The conversation also explores institutional factors shaping regional responses to health crises, the interplay of ideology and interests across the Americas, and lessons from BRICS for Latin America. Throughout, Octavio highlights how adaptable, interest-driven cooperation through TGNs is redefining regional integration and health governance.

Dr. Alina Gamboa Combs (Universidad Anáhuac, Mexico) is the author of Regional Integration, Development and Governance in Mesoamerica (Springer, 2019). In this episode, she joins Dr. Ivo Ganchev to explore Mexico’s complex regional identity, the evolution of Mesoamerican integration initiatives such as Plan Puebla Panama and Proyecto Mesoamérica, and the challenges of overlapping mechanisms like SICA. They also discuss U.S.–Mexico relations in the Trump era, the role of indigenous communities in regional projects, and creative approaches to teaching political theory. Throughout the conversation, Alina draws on extensive fieldwork and first-hand insights from across the region.