Shannon K. ONeill

Shannon O'Neil

Senior VP/Director:Studies

Shannon O'Neil is senior vice president and director of studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of "The Globalization Myth: Why Regions Matter."

Latest

The Donroe Doctrine Leans on Sticks But Needs Carrots

Bloomberg Opinion

The Donroe Doctrine Leans on Sticks But Needs Carrots

March 26, 2026

March 26, 2026

OpinionShannon O'Neil

The Donroe Doctrine Leans on Sticks But Needs Carrots

The Donroe Doctrine Leans on Sticks But Needs Carrots

February 16, 2026

February 16, 2026

OpinionShannon O'Neil

Latin America’s Munich No-Show Was a Big Mistake

62nd Munich Security Conference

January 28, 2026

January 28, 2026

OpinionShannon O'Neil

The AI Bubble Is Getting Closer to Popping

Construction At The First Stargate AI Data Center

July 17, 2025

July 17, 2025

OpinionShannon O'Neil

Mexico Is Facing a Second — and Worse — ‘China Shock’

A flood of Chinese imports threatens its efforts to diversify and grow its economy. The solution: greater integration with its North American neighbors.

MEXICO-CHINA-ECONOMY-CARS

April 9, 2025

April 9, 2025

OpinionShannon O'Neil

US Exporters Won’t Thrive in a ‘Plus-One’ World

Trump’s tariffs will shift manufacturers from a “China plus one” to a “US plus one” strategy, putting higher-cost US-made goods at a global competitive disadvantage.

Toyota Revamps Its Biggest Car Plant For Hybrid SUVs

March 28, 2025

March 28, 2025

OpinionShannon O'Neil

Tariffs Will Destroy the Best Cure for the Trade Deficit

US exports not only reduce deficits, they also bring higher-paying jobs and greater innovation. A tariff-driven trade war will hold back their growth.

Port Of Baltimore As Trump's Widening Tariff War Sparks Quick Retaliation On US

January 27, 2025

January 27, 2025

OpinionShannon O'Neil

Destabilizing Mexico Would Make the US Less Safe and Wealthy

Trump’s revival of his punitive immigration playbook will overwhelm Mexico’s overburdened state, sandbag regional economic growth and enrich criminal cartels.

Migrants Huddle In Camps And Shelters In Tijuana Waiting To Cross Into U.S.

December 12, 2023

December 12, 2023

OpinionShannon O'Neil

South America Can Still Save Its Trading Bloc

Stalemate over a trade deal with the European Union has left Mercosur on life support. Its revival depends on spurring greater intraregional trade.

63rd Summit of Heads of State of Mercosur and Associated States

September 15, 2023

September 15, 2023

OpinionShannon O'Neil

The Americas Can’t Handle Immigration a la Carte

The Western Hemisphere needs regional solutions to make the most of the migration wave it faces.

Bolivia Runs Up Against Lockdown Extension As It Strikes Deal To Return Stranded Migrants

June 15, 2023

June 15, 2023

OpinionShannon O'Neil

US Should Look South, Not Far East, on Trade Pacts

Many economies in the Americas already have bilateral free trade agreements with Washington, offering a stronger base for nearshoring, deeper integration and higher standards.

Port Of Houston As Governor Abbot Tries To Attract Cargo Amid California Delays

April 13, 2023

April 13, 2023

OpinionShannon O'Neil

Mexico’s Carnage Has No Military Solution

To curb violence and drug trafficking, Mexico needs functioning civilian police forces and court systems, not US military strikes and boots on the ground.

MEXICO-INDEPENDENCE-ANNIVERSARY-POLITICS-HISTORY

October 27, 2022

October 27, 2022

OpinionShannon O'Neil

The US Should Steal China’s Regional Cooperation IP

Nearshoring beats reshoring and is the best way for American companies and workers to compete with the biggest economic challenge they face.

Long queues of trucks on the border between Mexico and the USA

August 31, 2022

August 31, 2022

OpinionShannon O'Neil

More Soldiers Won’t Curb Mexico’s Rampant Violence

Fully implementing and funding its 2008 constitutional reform of the justice system would reduce impunity, boost public confidence and uphold the basic rule of law.

More Soldiers Won’t Curb Mexico’s Rampant Violence

July 28, 2022

July 28, 2022

OpinionShannon O'Neil

Chile’s Failed Pensions Are Neoliberalism’s Badge of Shame

A successful reform of the system is essential not only to reducing poverty, but also to restoring public faith in the country’s democracy.

Protests Continue In Chile After President Piñera Declares State of Emergency And Suspends Subway Fare Hike

May 2, 2022

May 2, 2022

OpinionShannon O'Neil

AMLO’s Lithium Grab and War on Green Energy Will Hurt North America

Nationalizing Mexico’s lithium reserves and extending state control over electricity and energy will undermine the region’s prosperity and security.

MEXICO-ENVIRONMENT-FRIDAYS FOR FUTURE

March 9, 2022

March 9, 2022

OpinionShannon O'Neil

Mexico’s Democracy Is Crumbling Under AMLO

Halfway through his term, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is moving from bending democratic norms and laws to breaking them — a slide that the U.S. cannot afford to ignore.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Holds Press Briefing

February 17, 2022

February 17, 2022

OpinionShannon O'Neil

Governance Must Trump Ideology in Latin America's Elections

Forget all the talk about the region’s “pink tide” and focus on which candidate is most likely to lift the greatest number of boats.

President Castillo To Face Impeachment Vote and Questioning

January 6, 2022

January 6, 2022

OpinionShannon O'Neil

Latin America’s New Economic Model May Emerge in Chile

Once the region’s no-frills, free-market poster child, Chile needs more government spending, not less, to sustain its growth trajectory.

Newly Elected President Boric Visits Constituent Assembly

December 3, 2021

December 3, 2021

OpinionShannon O'Neil

Populism Has Killed Latin America’s Once-Powerful ‘Technopols’

Once able to rely on larger-than-life finance ministers, the region’s business leaders now need to make the public case for free markets via retail politics.

BRAZIL-POLITICS-GUEDES

October 12, 2021

October 12, 2021

OpinionShannon O'Neil

Mexico’s Energy Grid Risks Fading to Black

President Lopez Obrador’s plan to renationalize electricity generation will make it more expensive, dirtier and less reliable and jeopardize the inclusive economic growth he says he wants.

AMLO's Nationalist Bent Casts 200 Energy Projects Into Limbo