From August 11-15, 2025, the author was in Asuncion, Paraguay, in an International Republican Institute (IRI) event hosted by that nation’s President Santiago Peña, bringing together government officials, diplomats, businesspersons, and civil society, to talk about Paraguay’s unique experiences and path to development. The event was a building block for a broader forum to be held at the Summit of the Americas in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic in November.
In Washington D.C., Paraguay is most commonly associated with activities by the terrorist group Hezbollah in the “triple frontier” where Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil converge. It also has the reputation for corruption, highlighted by the 2023 condemnation of former Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes for “significant corruption” by the Biden Administration.