Erich De La Fuente

Dr. Erich de la Fuente is a senior research fellow at the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom at Florida International University. His areas of expertise include political risk assessment, disinformation, news media freedom, strategic communications, and crisis management. He was the lead author of the recently published Latin America Country Risk Index and Analysis, which identified and analyzed the trends of Latin America’s principal political, economic, social, and international risks for 2024. He is currently leading the 2025 edition of this research initiative across twelve countries in the region.

Dr. de la Fuente is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University, where he teaches courses on International Relations of Latin America, Politics of Latin America, International Organizations, and Reputation and Crisis Management in Global Affairs.

In addition to his academic career, Dr. de la Fuente has advised private sector companies on political risk assessments, government affairs, strategic communications, and crisis management. He has also collaborated with multilateral organizations on programs aimed at combating corruption and promoting good governance throughout Latin America and Eastern Europe.

Dr. de la Fuente earned his Ph.D. in Governance and Policy Analysis from Maastricht University. He holds an M.A. in Latin American Studies from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and a B.A. in International Relations from Florida International University. He is the author of the book “Limiting Media Freedom in Democratic States: How Governments Use Instruments to Curtail News Media Freedom,” published in 2022.

As a political analyst, Dr. de la Fuente frequently appears as an expert on television and radio news programs in both English and Spanish. He is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese and proficient in Italian and Russian.