"[T]he facts in this case are pretty straightforward: In markets opened up by previous free trade agreements, the overwhelming majority of states have seen exports grow—in some cases exponentially," writes AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini in The Houston Chronicle.
News & Analysis
After a first-round vote fraught with controversy, Haiti's electoral commission has removed the ruling-party candidate from the March 20 runoff. Meanwhile, the return from exile of two past presidents muddies Haiti's political landscape.
On February 3, 2011, Americas Society will premier its latest exhibit featuring artist Arturo Herrera. The exhibition, titled Arturo Herrera: Les Noces (The Wedding) and curated by Gabriela Rangel (Americas Director of Society Visual Arts) is guaranteed to touch upon all the senses of the spectator.
Even as Beijing becomes an important source of investment, Brazil frets over how an undervalued yuan has led to a flood of Chinese goods. Will Chinese inflation resolve Brazil’s worries?
"China promises only a commercial relationship without political or policy interference," writes COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth in an article for Current History that explores China's emerging role in Latin America's development and economic growth.
Nowhere is the "south-south" model of market integration more evident than in emerging links between Asia and Latin America, argues Inter-American Development Bank President Luis Alberto Moreno in the Financial Times.
In the 2011 State of the Union, President Barack Obama signaled his support for pending trade deals with Colombia and Panama. But it remains to be seen how hard he will push for their passage. Will the two Latin American countries look elsewhere for trade partners?
An April 2009 raid by Bolivian counterterrorist forces is again being called into question.
The U.S. Secretary of State reiterated Washington’s support for Mexico’s fight against organized crime after leaked cables indicated doubts. Meanwhile, Mexico’s troubled border region shows positive economic signs as manufacturing jobs sprout.
In an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, AS/COA Board Member Thomas McLarty III says a strongly concerted effort to ratify pending trade agreements will remind voters that President Obama "sees America as confident and innovative enough to remain the global economy's True North."
When Brazilian leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva left office, a deal to purchase 36 Rafale jet fighters was near completion. Three weeks into her presidency, Dilma Rousseff has reopened debate over who will receive the lucrative defense contract.
The Obama administration made some changes to Cuba travel and remittance policy. But further easing of Cuba policy will face resistance from the new U.S. Congress.
Bernard Aronson, former assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs, argues in The Washington Post that delaying the ratification of free-trade agreements with Colombia and Panama sends Latin America a message: "Friends of the United States get thrown under the political bus."
Protests in southern Chile over proposed fuel increases cast a spotlight on rising energy costs and echoed recent Bolivian demonstrations.
Recovery efforts have been sluggish and a runoff election may see delays that could further undermine progress. But some observers note that goals set for rebuilding after last year's earthquake were overly ambitious.
In an article for The Huffington Post, AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini argues that U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America should "move on from focusing on internal politics or development objectives to understanding the nature of shifting international coalitions."
As natural disasters impact crop yields and global food prices continue to rise, experts worry that food scarcity will continue to haunt Latin America’s poor and vulnerable in 2011.
Conventional wisdom held that Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez would see decreased power after September 2010 midterm elections. In an article for ForeignAffairs.com, AS/COA’s Christopher Sabatini dispels this notion and forecasts that the Chávez government will step up expropriations ahead of the 2012 presidential vote.
"A strong trade agenda presents a unique opportunity to promote economic growth, global partnerships and bipartisan cooperation," argues Congressman David Dreier in an op-ed for Politico. "International trade plays an important part in improving a nation’s circumstances — far beyond the immediate scope of exports and imports."
Promising to build on her predecessor's successful economic and social policies, Dilma Rousseff was inaugurated as Brazil's first female president on January 1 in Brasilia. The former presidential chief of staff built a cabinet of continuity, hoping to continue her country's prosperity.